Westerly Sun Column | Journey Through the 'Bildungsroman' Genre

Are you familiar with the “Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon”? If not, I’m sure you’ll now start seeing it everywhere! Better known as the Frequency Illusion, this is a term for the experience of learning something new, and suddenly noticing it much more frequently. For me, this happened recently with the word “bildungsroman”, which is a type of literary genre. Considering my profession, I probably should have heard of this years ago, but better late than never!

The word bildungsroman is German for “novel of education” or “novel of formation”, and is often used interchangeably with “coming-of-age” novels. A true bildungsroman follows a protagonist’s moral and psychological journey over a span of time, often from youth to adulthood, and explores the way their experiences influence their development. Classic novels like “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens and “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë are often cited as examples, as they trace the lives of the main characters from youth to adulthood, and the challenges each overcome.

Bildungsromans were hugely popular in the 19th century, as you may have guessed by the titles I just mentioned, but they haven’t fallen out of fashion in the years since.  “The Alchemist” (1988) by Paulo Coelho is a great example of a more contemporary bildungsroman, which tells the story of a young shepherd boy who embarks on a quest in search of buried treasure. Even the Harry Potter series can fall under this genre, as the books follow Harry from childhood through young adulthood.

There are a number of bildungsromans that came out over the last few years that are definitely worth a read. “The Lion Women of Tehran” (2024) by Marjan Kamali is a historical fiction book about two young friends growing up in Iran from the 1950’s to 1980’s. The book is frequently compared to Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”, a heartbreaking coming-of-age novel set in Afghanistan over the course of several turbulent decades. For something a bit less heavy (but still affecting), try “Pan” by Michael Clune, a highly-unique novel about a fifteen-year-old experiencing panic attacks, who suspects he may be turning into the Greek god Pan. 

The immigrant experience is a theme that is seen in many bildungsromans, especially in recent years. “The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna” by Juliet Grames (2019) is a multigenerational saga that takes place over the course of a century, exploring sisterhood, family secrets, and the challenges of American immigration. Last but not least is Aria Aber’s semi-autobiographical debut “Good Girl” (2025), about a teenage girl born in Germany to Afghan refugee parents.

Obviously, these books represent a wide range of human experiences, over a vast number of years. However, the underlying themes of growth, change, and adaptation are universal experiences. Perhaps this is why the genre has remained so popular over the years. All of these, and more, are available through the Ocean State Library consortium.

by Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian