Bildungsroman- Themes

Coming of Age and Apprenticeship
Goethe’s Bildungsroman appropriately uses the
word ‘‘apprenticeship’’ in its title because one distinguishing factor of the genre is the learning
process that brings the protagonist from childhood
into adulthood. As a coming-of-age novel,
the Bildungsroman focuses on the main character’s
apprenticeship. These experiences place the
character near older practitioners whose roles as
models the character either emulates or rejects.
Education
The Bildungsroman is a novel of formation or
development. These terms imply that the Bildungsroman
is also a novel about education,
yet not necessarily in the narrow sense of the
Erziehungsroman (novel of educational development).
Life is an education, and the process
of growing up as chronicled in the Bildungsroman
is a series of experiences that teach lessons.
The protagonist’s education may be academic; it
may also be in other areas, such as learning
social graces, conducting business affairs, and
gaining integrity in relationships.
Identity and the Self
The protagonist of the Bildungsroman has a
unique talent. Part of the maturation process
requires discovering this talent and figuring out
how to use it. The journey and experiences of the
hero are intended to provide an opportunity to
examine the inner self and clarify important
goals and how to pursue them. As part of the
self-discovery, the hero gets a new perspective on
his/her relationships with other people. In other
words, facing the complexities of the adult world
causes the protagonist to learn about others and
about himself. Thus, the Bildungsroman is a
psychological novel in which the main character
evolves toward mature self-awareness.
Journey
In Bildungsromans the hero leaves home on a
journey or quest. Usually, the protagonist leaves
a rural setting to travel into the wider world of
the city. In this way, the character encounters a
larger society that tests his or her mettle. The
physical journey initiates change, and change
brings growth.
Love
Finding the right love is a component of the
quest as it is enacted in the Bildungsroman.
The movement into adulthood begins with separation
and often resolves in maturity with adult
connection. In some cases the character must
negotiate among potential partners in order to
discover the appropriate one. The formalization
of that relationship may constitute the final
event in the novel.
Search for the Meaning of Life
In the Bildungsroman, the novel of development,
the hero develops through experiences
that assist in clarifying the character’s mature
values. Growing up involves the search for universal
truths. For Victorians, the universal
truths concerned achieving middle-class values,
marrying, and settling down as a responsible
citizen. But to writers like Joyce, these truths
concerned the artist’s alienation and the necessary
rejection of middle-class values.

Bildungsroman- Representative works( Joyce, Bronte, D.H.Lawrence, Twain, Dickens)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1884 in England and
Canada and in the United States a few months later, in 1885. Like the Bildungsroman hero,
Huck leaves home to find an independent life, has a surrogate father in Jim, is in conflict with
his society, and reaches maturity when he repents his treatment of Jim and puts fairness
and friendship over expected behavior. Though considered by some to be a masterpiece
of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn initially scandalized reviewers
and parents who thought it would corrupt young children with its depiction of a hero who lies,
steals, and uses coarse language. In the last half of the twentieth century, the condemnation of
the book continued on the grounds that its portrayal of Jim and use of the word ‘‘nigger’’ are
racist. While some justify the book as a documentation of the racial notions prevalent at the
time of its writing, the novel continues to appear on some lists of books banned in schools across
the United States.

Great Expectations
Great Expectations, published serially in 1860 and 1861 by Charles Dickens, follows the tradition
of the Bildungsroman. The young protagonist, Pip, leaves his rural home to become a
gentleman and win the girl of his dreams. While most Bildungsroman heroes have to make their
own way, Pip has a mysterious benefactor who provides the wealth that Pip thinks will make
him happy. However, in the course of finding his true values, Pip comes to realizes that happiness
comes not from money but from the appreciation of good friends, regardless of their social
status, and from personal integrity. This novel has become an all-time classic that is still
required reading in many high school curricula.
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte¨ ’s Jane Eyre, published in 1847, is one of the first Bildungsromans with a female
protagonist. In this Victorian English novel, the female hero is constrained by social expectations
determined by gender-specific beliefs. At age ten, Jane is sent to residential school where she
acquires skills she later uses as a governess and a village schoolteacher. In its use of natural
elements and the supernatural, the novel is both romantic and Gothic. Jane Eyre is a Bildungsroman
in that it traces Jane’s development     
from a dependent child to a mature and independent woman. The novel dramatizes the love
affair between Jane and Edward Rochester, who is married at the time they meet. Rochester keeps
his insane wife sequestered in his estate, and after she dies, he and Jane marry. Charlotte Bronte¨
was attracted to the married headmaster of the school in Brussels where she went to study
French and to teach in 1842–1843. This unhappy experience, along with the author’s memories of early school years at Cowan’s Bridge, contributed autobiographical elements to Jane Eyre, her first published work of fiction, which was an immediate success.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce’s masterpiece is Ulysses, but his autobiographical Bildungsroman is A Portrait
of the Artist as a Young Man, published in 1916. When Joyce’s hero Stephen Dedalus
grows up, he says farewell to his home country and to his family and religion as well. The Norton
Anthology of English Literature describes this
novel as portraying ‘‘the parallel movement toward art and toward exile.’’ This novel of
rebellion insists that the artist is an outcast and that his alienation is a necessary component of
his being creative.
Sons and Lovers
Another autobiographical Bildungsroman, Sons and Lovers was D. H. Lawrence’s third and most
notable novel. Published in 1913, it is the coming-of- age story of PaulMorel, the son of a coal miner
father and a controlling and ambitious mother who gives up on finding any fulfillment in her
marriage. She turns her possessive attention to her children, especially Paul. The resulting struggle
for sexual power and individual identity causes Paul difficulties in finding his professional
place and establishing a healthy relationship with a woman his own age. This novel dramatizes
some of the psychological points Freud explored under the label Oedipus complex.

Bildungsroman- Representative authors

Charlotte Bronte¨ (1816–1855)
Charlotte Bronte¨ was born in Yorkshire, England, on April 21, 1816, the third of six children.
Her two older sisters died in childhood, and Bronte¨ became very close to her remaining younger siblings, brother Branwell and sisters Emily and Anne. In 1846, Bronte¨ and her sisters
published a collection of poetry under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, and
although the collection was not well received by critics and readers, the three women continued
to write. By 1849, Bronte¨ had lost her three beloved siblings—Branwell from complications
of heavy drinking, and Emily and Anne to tuberculosis. Her writing career, however, was taking
off with the success of Jane Eyre (1847), an excellent example of the female Bildungsroman.
She married Arthur Bell Nichols, her father’s curate, in June 1854 and died less than a year
later, on March 31, 1855, either from tuberculosis or from complications caused by pregnancy.
Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
One of the greatest British writers of all time, Charles Dickens was a Victorian novelist who
chose the Bildungsroman form for at least two of his most famous works: David Copperfield
(1849–1850) and Great Expectations (1860– 1861). Born in Portsmouth, England, on February
7, 1812, Dickens grew up in London. His father was a navy clerk who went to debtors’
prison when Dickens was twelve. Forced to go to work in a shoe dye factory, Dickens lived
alone in fear and shame. These feelings led to the creation of his many orphan characters and
his sympathy for the plight of the working class that made him the first great urban novelist.
Although he was able to return to school and eventually clerked in a law firm, Dickens found
his first success as a journalist and comic writer of the Pickwick Papers (1836–1837). However,
his deep social concerns found expression in a rich intensity and variety in his later works. By
the time of his death from a paralytic stroke at age 58 on June 9, 1870, Dickens had written
many novels, including A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, and A Tale of Two Cities.
James Joyce (1882–1941)
As a poet and novelist, James Joyce brought marked change to modern literature. Born in Dublin, Ireland, on February 2, 1882, Joyce moved frequently as a child because of his
father’s drinking and financial difficulties. Joyce’s classic Ku¨ nstlerroman (novel of an artist’s
development), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, portrays a hero who is a character blend of
Joyce and his father. Despite the Joyce family situation, the novelist received a good education
at a Jesuit school. But like his hero in A Portrait, Joyce later rejected religion, family, and his
home country, living most of his life on the European continent. However, he wrote almost exclusively
about Dublin. Joyce felt that being an artist required exile to protect oneself from sentimental
involvements and that he could not write about Dublin with integrity and objectivity
unless he went away. A Portrait established the modern concept of the artist as a bohemian who
rejects middle-class values. It also set the example for a number of modern Irish Bildungsromans
in which heroes achieve their quest when they come to believe that alienation from society,
not finding one’s place in the social order, is the mark of maturity. Joyce died in Zurich on
January 13, 1941, when he was only 59fifty-nine years old, but his innovations in literary organization
and style, particularly his use of stream of consciousness technique, secured his unique
place in the development of the novel.
Mark Twain (1835–1910)
Mark Twain is known as one of America’s leading realists, native humorists, and local colorists.
He was a master in the use of folklore, psychological realism, and dialects. Born Samuel
Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835, he died of heart disease in
the city he had long made his home, Hartford, Connecticut, on April 21, 1910. Twain produced
not one but several classics, including what some believe to be the greatest American novel, The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), a picaresque and satirical Bildungsroman. Probably
more than any other writer, Mark Twain provided a uniquely American, and usually comic,
portrayal of the Bildungsroman hero. Sadly, Twain’s satire became bitter as his personal tragedies
and financial reverses led to the disillusionment and depression that cloud his later writings.

Literary Movements- Bildungsroman

Bildungsroman is the name affixed to those novels
that concentrate on the development or education
of a central character. German in origin,
‘‘bildungs’’ means formation, and ‘‘roman’’
means novel. Although The History of Agathon,
written by Christoph Martin Wieland in 1766–
1767, may be the first known example, it was
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s
Apprenticeship, written in 1795, that took
the form from philosophical to personal development
and gave celebrity to the genre.
More than any other type of novel, the Bildungsroman
intends to lead the reader to greater
personal enrichment as the protagonist journeys
from youth to psychological or emotional maturity.
Traditionally, this growth occurs according to
a pattern: the sensitive, intelligent protagonist
leaves home, undergoes stages of conflict and
growth, is tested by crises and love affairs, then
finally finds the best place to use his/her unique
talents. Sometimes the protagonist returns home
to show how well things turned out. Some Bildungsromans
end with the death of the hero,
leaving the promise of his life unfulfilled. Traditionally,
English novelists complicate the protagonist’s
battle to establish an individual identity
with conflicts from outside the self. German novelists
typically concentrate on the internal struggle
of the hero. The protagonist’s adventures can
be seen as a quest for the meaning of life or as a
vehicle for the author’s social and moral opinions
as demonstrated through the protagonist.
The Bildungsroman was especially popular
until 1860. Its German affiliation, however, caused
anti-German sentiment during the world wars to
contribute to the demise of its influence, along
with the emergence of a multitude of modern
experiments in novel writing. Nonetheless, James
Joyce wrote his Bildungsroman, A Portrait of an
Artist as a Young Man, in 1916, and the genre has
continued to be adopted, with distinguishing variations,

by writers of many nationalities.

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George Orwell, 1984

George Orwell, 1984

I have been reading this dystopian novel for the last 3 days, and I must say I really, really like it!!!! I find it odd the way Orwell could imagine such a mixed-up, sick society based on his imagination and his feeble knowledge of the totalitarian regimes. As a representative-citizen of a former communist country, Romania, I could somewhat relate to some of the manipulation techniques that Orwell depicts here and that my government used back then. I remember queueing for milk, bread, being given ratios for oil, butter, flour, the propaganda on TV, the big, lavishing parades on the 23rd of August, each year, the lies that they were feeding my family with...and I realised we were THERE, living in a wronged world, being continuously surveilled, controlled. Madness!!!!
Unfortunately, 22 years after the Revolution that brought about the long-sought freedom, people are dreaming about THOSE AWFUL DAYS, wishing that they could re-live them, considering them better...What???? And I wonder whether we deserve everything that we have and should cherish. Because there is no other freedom than that of the mind, soul and thought.
Coming up next: "1984"- analysis of context, themes, symbols, motifs, characters, with a short summary and some references found on the Internet that should help you study thoroughly. But first, promise that you will read it...it's really worth it!!

Nice Work, David Lodge

I have just finished it (ugh!!) and I want a big break. This is what I think:
"Nice Work" shows the development of two different characters, Robyn, the academic one that is later in the course of the story also interested in industrial and technical things. In contrast to that person the reader gets to know Vic, a managing director of a big factory who develops a kind of weakness for poetry and literature. At the beginning of the text the reader wouldn't expect these two narrow-minded characters to change their attitudes in that way. This is what gives the novel an exciting aspect.
In my opinion the story is told in a very interesting way, although there are some passages, palling the reader a little bit. But all in all "Nice Work" is a curious and very specific kind of story.

You will find so many things about the novel here: Nice Work, David Lodge
Good luck with your studying!!!!

The Remains of the day, Kazuo Ishiguro( motifs, symbols, themes)

Dignity and Greatness

The compound qualities of "dignity" and "greatness" pervade Stevens's thoughts throughout The Remains of the Day. Early in the novel, Stevens discusses the qualities that make a butler "great," claiming that "dignity" is the essential ingredient of greatness. He illustrates the concept with a number of examples, finally concluding that dignity "has to do crucially with a butler's ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits." Stevens develops this exclusively professional mindset only too well. Because he always dons the mask of an imperturbable butler, he necessarily denies—and therefore leaves unexpressed—his own personal feelings and beliefs. Stevens's pursuit of dignity in his professional life completely takes over his personal life as well. By suppressing his individuality in this manner, he never achieves true intimacy with another person. The fact that his view of dignity is so misguided is sad; we can tell that Stevens has wanted great things, but that he has gone about attaining them the wrong way.

Regret

Although Stevens never overtly discusses what he thinks "regret" may mean, it becomes clear, when he breaks down and cries at the end of the novel, that he wishes he had acted differently with regard to Miss Kenton and Lord Darlington. The tone of the novel is often wistful or nostalgic for the past; as the story goes on, the tone deepens into one of regret as Stevens reevaluates his past actions and decisions, and finds them unwise. Miss Kenton also openly says at the end of the novel that she often regrets the choices she has made in her own life. The overwhelming sadness of the ending is only slightly lifted by Stevens's resolve to perfect the art of bantering—it seems a meager consolation considering the irreparable losses he has experienced in life.

Loss

Literal and figurative loss abounds for almost every character in The Remains of the Day. Stevens loses his father, Miss Kenton, and eventually his hope of convincing Miss Kenton to return to Darlington Hall. Miss Kenton loses her aunt, her only relative; and loses Stevens when she leaves to marry a man she does not love. Lord Darlington loses two friends, Herr Bremann and Sir David Cardinal, and his godson, Reginald Cardinal, when they die. Furthermore, Darlington loses his reputation and some degree of his own sanity by the end of his life. Reginald Cardinal loses his father to death and his godfather, Lord Darlington, to Nazi brainwashing. There are both literal and figurative deaths: deaths of loved ones, and figurative deaths of dreams and ideals.

Motifs

Bantering

Bantering provides an element of lightness and humor in the narrative, yet it is still one that ultimately demonstrates the degree to which Stevens has become an anachronism. Stevens repeatedly tells of various failed attempts at bantering, and muses over why Americans like his new employer, Mr. Farraday, like to speak in such a casual and seemingly meaningless manner. By the end of the novel, Stevens cedes that perhaps bantering can be a way to exhibit warmth, and he resolves to try again with renewed zeal. The fact that Stevens uses the word "bantering" instead of "joking around" or "sense of humor" in itself shows how old-fashioned and formal he is.

Stevens's Rhetorical Manner

A recurrent structural motif in the novel is the rhetorical method Stevens uses to make his points. His primary manner of discussing a new topic is to pose a question and then answer it himself, incorporating into his answers a number of responses to anticipated counter-arguments. As rhetoric is a form of art and debate closely associated with England, this mode of discourse lends the novel greater authority as one firmly grounded in English culture and tradition. The rhetorical mode of discourse is intended to convince its audience; indeed, particularly in the early parts of the narrative, Stevens often succeeds in conveying the illusion that he fully understands all sides of the issues he discusses. As the novel progresses, however, we realize there are whole realms he has failed to consider, rendering many of his assumptions and arguments much weaker than they initially appear.

Symbols

The English Landscape

The most notable symbols in The Remains of the Day are associated with people and events, not with objects and colors. The English landscape that Stevens admires near the beginning of his road trip is one such significant symbol, as we see that Stevens applies the same standards of greatness to the landscape as he does to himself. He feels that English landscape is beautiful due to its restraint, calm, and lack of spectacle—the same qualities Stevens successfully cultivates in his own life as a butler aspiring to "greatness." By the end of the novel, however, Stevens is no longer certain that he has been wise to adhere to these values so rigidly, to the exclusion open- mindedness, individuality, and love.

Stevens's Father Searching on the Steps

Stevens and Miss Kenton watch Stevens's father, after his fall on the steps, practicing going up and down the steps. The elder Stevens searches the ground surrounding the steps "as though," Miss Kenton writes in her letter, "he hoped to find some precious jewel he had dropped there." The action of searching for something that is irretrievably lost is an apt symbol for Stevens's road trip, and indeed his life as a whole. Just as his father keeps his eyes trained on the ground, Stevens keeps thinking over memories in his head as though they will give him some clue as to how his values led him astray in life.

Giffen and Co.

The silver polish company in Mursden that is closing down is a symbol for the obsolescence of Stevens's profession. Indeed, the butler is also almost entirely obsolete by 1956. It is significant that Stevens knows all about the quality of the silver polish, the houses in which it was used, and so on—though he knows an incredible amount of detail about all things related to the maintenance of a great household, his knowledge is no longer nearly as important as it once was. There is no longer the demand that there once was in England for either silver polish or butlers; they are a part of a bygone era.

The Remains of the day, Kazuo Ishiguro( The theme of dignity)

 The novel, The Remains of the Day, contains a recurring theme of dignity. This theme is stated and restated throughout the novel. Dignity, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is "a composed and serious manner/style, the state of being worthy of honor or respect". In the novel, dignity is exoterically found in the form of proper gentlemen, as well as butlers who allow nothing to distract or faze them from doing their duty.

What about the everyday definition in the modern world. This dignity today is rarely encountered other than in the higher levels of old fashioned society, politics and perhaps serious business matters. With all our upbringing, culture and modernization, few have retained what was known as the dignity of even a half century ago. No one has the time any more to nurture and develop their dignity to a reasonable potential, as they find increasingly less and less reason to do so, relying instead on pure wit, instinct and professional tact. What I think is meant when one talks about dignity is the following. Take an imaginary case. You are confronted with a difficult or abnormal situation, yet you can maintain the same level of thinking and can attempt to deal with the situation. Or, you are forced to respond to a matter, and there is the possibility of your letting it get out of hand, but you control yourself and respond instead while focused and maintaining a civilised manner. That is dignity.

As is evident throughout the novel, it is a quality inherent in all people. The author’s intention and a below the surface view become clear: during his car journey. Mr Stevens becomes acutely aware of the dignity present in the people he meets, for example the family who takes him in when he runs out of gas. These are hardly the upper crust folk, yet their demeanour warms him and places them all on an even level. From there, communication tends to become easier. Thanks to the dignity in these people, Mr Stevens has little trouble adapting to his situation and manages to make the most out of it. Herein, I believe, lies the author’s intention with regard to dignity. He is saying we should look further that where we perceive dignity to lie; we should look closer, at the common folk; we should look closer yet, find it within ourselves. He adds that dignity is a precious value in life and, even from a butler’s perspective, can enable us to achieve that "greatness" we are after. Yet another point the author is trying to put across is the fact that without proper dignity, one may find oneself in daunting situations that one could otherwise had avoided.

 The American senator who was present at the major discussions at Darlington Hall prior to the peace negotiations is a perfect example. He stated that all present were dreamers and amateurs, incapable of handling the future of the nation which "should be left to professionals". Lord Darlington replied that what was seen as amateurism was, in fact, dignity. This encounter points out that, lacking dignity, you misjudge others and misunderstand their actions and ambitions. There is no doubt that dignity is a fine quality for anyone to possess. Quite apart from the aforementioned, there are several further aspects which dignity carries. One is honour. Dignity goes hand in hand with this other quality, they are related and used in conjunction. Possessing dignity enables one to place honour in one’s actions and words, both of which have large effects on the individual. Another is respect. Standing on one’s dignity commands respect from his/her peers. Respect is highly valued no matter where one is, and being able to command it almost at will is a very valuable skill. With respect in hand, one can venture to higher levels of success, because those around you are less likely to interfere, more likely to assist and will not question: respect carries trust. Finally, dignity itself, on account of its rarity, has become a worthy quality within itself. Those who can claim proper dignity have much to be proud of and are seen as great gentlemen of modern times.

In conclusion, the recurring theme of dignity presented in the novel presents an excellent example of this fine quality. It combines inherited and assumed dignity with developed dignity, along with both their uses and implications thereof.

The Remains of the day, Kazuo Ishiguro( allusions to real life events)

The major theme of the decline of the British aristocracy can be linked to the 1911 Parliament Act, which reduced the powers of the House of Lords, and to the substantial inheritance tax increases imposed after World War I which forced the break-up of many estates that had been passed down for generations.

The pro-German stance of Lord Darlington has parallels in the warm relations with Germany favoured by some British aristocrats in the early 1930s, such as Lord Londonderry, or Baron Brocket.

One of the most important episodes in Ishiguro's novel involves the 1923 convention at Lord Darlington's house to potentially effect a renegotiation of the Treaty of Versailles. Lord Darlington, in particular, is unhappy with the outcome of the treaty, which he feels unfairly penalizes Germany. Here is some background on the Treaty which ended World War I that will help you make sense of much of the political discussion in the book.

 

 

 

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, five years after the start of the first great World War and after six months of negotiation at the Paris Peace Conference. The biggest issue at stake in the negotiation of the treaty was how much to penalize Germany for causing the war - a discussion which ultimately ended with a full blame of the country for precipitating conflict and imposing on them a harsh set of reparations and penalties which ultimately came to build German resentment towards the Allies and pave the way towards the second World War.

The terms of the treaty were quite severe for Germany. These included:

The terms of the Treaty, which Germany had no choice but to accept, were announced on May 7, 1919. Germany lost:

-- more than 13% of its country's territory

-- its African colonies, which included Cameroon, Togo, and East Africa

-- Alsace-Lorraine, ceded to France

-- Upper Silesia, ceded to Poland

-- the right to Germany as a military zone

Additionally, German armed forces were limited to 100,000 troops, the manufacturing of weapons and import and export of weapons were prohibited, as was the manufacture of gas or the use of tanks. Military equipment was also heavily limited - including naval ships, submarines, military aircraft and artillery. Finally, and perhaps most humiliating, were the articles attached to the Treaty. In these articles, Germany was forced to accept sole responsibility of war in the "War Guilt Clause" and vow to somehow compensate the allies. The German emperor, Wilhelm II, was declared a war criminal. And last but not least, the Germans were forced to pay huge reparations to the Allied Countries.

Overall, the Treaty of Versailles had a devastating effect on the German people. Not only did it cause a source of shame for them around the world, but it crippled them economically. Moreover, the German public didn't support the treaty - believing that they had neither fully caused the war nor lost it it ultimately. Even within Germany, the signing of the treaty created deep factions between German nationalists who believed the country must never give in to such draconian terms and 'extraloyal' Germans, like Poles, and Jews who had another affiliation beyond their country. Ultimately, these civil conflicts between groups hardlined into the formation of the German nationalist Nazi Party that quickly escalated into the start of the second World War.