Bildungsroman
Related: child - youth - adult - German literature - literary genre - 19th century sentimental literature - literary genre
The 3000 page In Search of Lost Time (1913 -1927) by Marcel Proust is a semiautobiographical bildungsroman. [Aug 2006]
Definition
A bildungsroman (German: "novel of education" or "novel of formation") is a novel which traces the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character from (usually) childhood to maturity. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungsroman [Dec 2005]
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's formal transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes places varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritualistic cycle, similar to those once practiced by many societies. In the past, and in some societies today, such a change is associated with the age of sexual maturity (mid-adolescence) while modern legal conventions are more commonly a point in late adolescence or early adulthood (most commonly 18 and 21). In either case, many cultures retain ceremonies to confirm the coming of age, and significant benefits come with the change. (See also rite of passage.)
The term coming of age is also used in reference to different media such as stories, movies, etc. that have a young character or characters who, by the end of the story, have developed in some way, through the undertaking of responsibility, or by learning a lesson. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_age [Aug 2006]
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