The Bildungsroman
(the novel of personal development of education) originated in Germany in the latter half of the 18th century and has since become one of the major narrative genres in European and Anglo-American literature. It charts the protagonist’s actual or metaphorical journey from youth to maturity. Initially the aim of this journey is reconciliation between the desire for individuation (self-fulfillment) and the demands of socialization (adoption to a given social reality). The noun “Bildung” has several meanings, which is why the term is often left untranslated. The most common renditions are “novel of development” or “novel of education”.
a german word meaning a 'novel of education', referring to a novel taking as its theme the development of an individual from childhood to adulthood, following the protagonist's search for his or her own identity. The form was common in German literature, the archetype being Goethe's Wilhelm Meister Lehrjahre (1795-6). In English literature the term is more applicable to novels of the 19th century, such as David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, but can also be applied to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) by James Joyce.
Bloomsbury Group - a group of writers, artists, and critics centred around Vanessa and Virginia Stephen (later Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf) and their home in the Bloomsbury area of London in the early years of the twentieth century. Opposed to the social constraints of their age, they had a modernising liberal outlook, and made significant achievements in their fields, though they were accused by some of elitism.
Characterization
is the method used by a writer to develop a character. The method
includes (1) showing the character's appearance, (2) displaying the
character's actions, (3) revealing the character's thoughts, (4)
letting the character speak, and (5) getting the reactions of others.
Character, characterization. A character is a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, and characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader. A hero or heroine, often called the protagonist, is the central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. The antagonist is the character, force, or collection of forces that stands directly opposed to the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story. A static character does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow, whereas a dynamic character undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot. A flat character embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits that can be readily described in a brief summary. They are not psychologically complex characters and therefore are readily accessible to readers. Some flat characters are recognized as stock characters; they embody stereotypes such as the "dumb blonde" or the "mean stepfather." They become types rather than individuals. Round characters are more complex than flat or stock characters, and often display the inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in most real people. They are more fully developed, and therefore are harder to summarize. Authors have two major methods of presenting characters: showing and telling. Showing allows the author to present a character talking and acting, and lets the reader infer what kind of person the character is. In telling, the author intervenes to describe and sometimes evaluate the character for the reader. Characters can be convincing whether they are presented by showing or by telling, as long as their actions are motivated. Motivated action by the characters occurs when the reader or audience is offered reasons for how the characters behave, what they say, and the decisions they make. Plausible action is action by a character in a story that seems reasonable, given the motivations presented.
Characters can be discussed in a number of ways.
The protagonist is the main character, who is not necessarily a hero or a heroine. The antagonist is the opponent; the antagonist may be society, nature, a person, or an aspect of the protagonist. The antihero, a recent type, lacks or seems to lack heroic traits.
A persona is a fictional character. Sometimes the term means the mask or alter-ego of the author; it is often used for first person works and lyric poems, to distinguish the writer of the work from the character in the work.
Characters may be classified as round (three-dimensional, fully developed) or as flat (having only a few traits or only enough traits to fulfill their function in the work); as developing (dynamic) characters or as static characters.
A foil is a secondary character who contrasts with a major character; in Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras, whose fathers have been killed, are foils for Hamlet.
characterization The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.(i.e. "The patient boy and quiet girl were both well mannered and did not disobey their mother." |
characterization - direct characterization Writer tells reader directly what the character is like and/or what the character's motives are. (i.e. "The patient boy and quiet girl were both well mannered and did not disobey their mother.") |
characterization - dynamic character Changes in some important way as a result of the story's action. (i.e. The Capulets and Montegues are all dynamic. By the end of the story they have changed and have stopped hating each other) |
characterization - flat character Have few personality traits and can be summed up by a single phrase (wicked stepmother, nosy neighbor). (i.e. Snow White's evil stepsisters) |
characterization - indirect characterization Reader must exercise judgment to put clues together to infer what a character is like, using the character's actions, words, or thoughts. (i.e. In the "Cat in the Hat", any of the words spoken by the cat at the beginning of the story are ubeat. For instance, the cat says to the children, "But we can have/Lots of fun that is funny!") |
characterization - round character Have more dimensions to their personalities; they are complex as real people are. (i.e. Romeo is a round character, we see sensitive, romantic, and aggressive sides of him) |
characterization - static character Is not changed by or through the course of events in a story. (i.e. The evil step-mother in Cinderella is a static character, she is still evil at the end and throughout the story) |