The German Bildungsroman

A study of the Bildungsroman as literature, including detailed readings of novels from Goethe to Mann.

The Bildungsroman - the story of the development or formation of a young man - is the most famous German contribution to the European novel. This 1997 book offers detailed readings of some of the best-known novels in the German language, challenging traditional ideas about the Bildungsroman, and about the function of literature.This book was originally published in 1997. The Bildungsroman - the story of the development or formation of a young man - is the most famous German contribution to the European novel. Most studies of the Bildungsroman have concentrated on its underlying philosophy; Michael Minden addresses it as literature. He offers detailed readings of some of the best-known novels in the German language, from Goethe to Mann, including Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, Agathon, Anton Reiser, Hyperion, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Der grüne Heinrich, Der Nachsommer, and Der Zauberberg. Looking at the novels from the points of view of gender, subjectivity, and the ideology of the aesthetic, and taking account of the literary theory, Minden uncovers aspects and motifs which subvert traditional ideas of the Bildungsroman and raise questions about the function and status of literature.