Bildungsroman and Great Expectations

Definition

• Bildungsroman is a special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood.

The Journey

•A Bildungsroman is a story of the growing up of a sensitive person who looks for answers to his questions through different experiences. Generally, such a novel starts with a loss or a tragedy that disturbs the main character emotionally. He or she leaves on a journey to fill that vacuum.

Coming of Age

• During the journey, the protagonist gains maturity gradually and with difficulty. Usually, the plot depicts a conflict between the protagonist and the values of society. Finally, he or she accepts those values and they are accepted by the society, ending the dissatisfaction. Such a type of novel is also known as a coming-of-age novel.

• Throughout his career, Charles Dickens wrote multiple bildungsroman novels (Blake 106). Great Expectations, published in 1861, is considered to be one of his greatest works both overall and within the bildungsroman genre, due to its intricate narrative and character developments. The novel addresses many of the common concerns in bildungsroman, such as finding a place to belong, discovering who one can depend on, defining what really matters in life, and coming to peace with one’s self.

Pip’s Stages of Expectations

• The scholar John H. Hagan points out that Great Expectations is divided into three distinct parts: boyhood, youth, and maturity (Hagan 54). The first part acts as a setup, both in terms of plot and character development, for the events in Pip’s life that will eventually unfold.

http://bildungsromanproject.com/great-expectations-an-overview/