bildungsroman, class of novel that depicts and explores the manner in which the protagonist develops morally and psychologically. The German word Bildungsroman means “novel of education” or “novel of formation.”
The folklore tale of the dunce who goes out into the world seeking adventure and learns wisdom the hard way was raised to literary heights in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s medieval epic Parzival and in Hans Grimmelshausen’s picaresque tale Simplicissimus (1669). The first novelistic development of this theme was Christoph Martin Wieland’s Geschichte des Agathon (1766–67; History of Agathon). It was followed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795–96; Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship), which remains the classic example of the genre. Other examples are Adalbert Stifter’s Nachsommer (1857; Indian Summer) and Gottfried Keller’s Der grüne Heinrich (1854–55; Green Henry).
The bildungsroman traditionally ends on a positive note, though its action may be tempered by resignation and nostalgia. If the grandiose dreams of the hero’s youth are over, so are many foolish mistakes and painful disappointments, and, especially in 19th-century novels, a life of usefulness lies ahead. In the 20th century and beyond, however, the bildungsroman more often ends in resignation or death. Classic examples include Great Expectations (1861) by Charles Dickens, Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Sons and Lovers (1913) by D.H. Lawrence, Member of the Wedding (1946) by Carson McCullers, Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985) by Jeanette Winterson, and Black Swan Green (2006) by David Mitchell.
A common variation of the bildungsroman is the Künstlerroman, a novel dealing with the formative years of an artist. Such other variations as the Erziehungsroman (“novel of upbringing”) and the Entwicklungsroman (“novel of [character] development”) differ only slightly from the bildungsroman, and these terms are sometimes used interchangeably.