Bildungsroman

[ bil-doongz-roh-mahn; German beel-doongks-raw-mahn ]

noun

, plural Bil·dungs·ro·mans, German Bil·dungs·ro·ma·ne [beel, -d, oo, ngks-, r, aw-mah-n, uh].

1. a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.

Bildungsroman

/ ˈbɪldʊŋsromaːn /

noun

1. a novel concerned with a person's formative years and development

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bildungsroman¹

1905–10; < German, equivalent to Bildung formation + -s noun ending in compounds + Roman novel

Word History and Origins

Origin of Bildungsroman¹

literally: education novel

Example Sentences

The sexual bildungsroman, for the uninitiated, centers on Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a 15-year-old high school student in Lille.

From The Daily Beast

Penelope is closer in sensibility to an anodyne sitcom than a precocious bildungsroman.

From The Daily Beast