Fiction 101: Bildungsroman

What Makes a Bildungsroman?

by Shelby D., Evening Supervisor

Hello! Thank you for tuning in again to Fiction 101. In the past, we’ve talked about dystopian fiction, horror, graphic novels, and more. Feel free to look back and peruse those posts! For this month, we will talk about bildungsroman.

Bildungsroman (pronounced: buildings-roman) is a genre defined by its coming of age narrative. The plot is centered around a struggle with the protagonist and societal norms and rules. Throughout the novel, the protagonist will experience moral growth as they come to terms with their role in society. Often the novel begins with the protagonist experiencing loss. Some cornerstone examples of bildungsroman are To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

A lot of bildungsroman books are YA and children’s books, as they often deal with children and teens growing up. For instance, the Harry Potter series is a bildungsroman. Bildungsromans tend to have a focus on themes of grief and protagonists tend to have a strong sense of justice (or grow to have a strong sense of justice).

Here are some recommendations for bildungsroman books:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Thank you for reading this month’s Fiction 101, tune in next month where I’ll talk about the top 10 most checked out books here at the Morgantown Public Library in 2024!