Bildungsroman Paper
Beau Goergen
Period 7
3-12-12
Research Paper Rough Draft When reading a book, do you ever feel like you have already read a plot like this before? Do you sometimes wonder if you have even read this book already? There are very similar patterns in writing books and producing movies. There are also very similar characters in these books and movies. One type of storyline in particular is the bildungsroman plot. This is the coming to age novel. Bildungsroman books trace back to Germany in the early 1900’s (Cengage). A bildungsroman story generally contains a protagonist who learns and grows as time progresses. This growth can be physical or moral. There are many stories containing this plot. An author tries to send a message out to the reader about life and how you can change. The question is, do all bildungsroman novels have the same outcome? I think that protagonists in bildungsroman stories all have a similar, successful turnout at the end of the story. In this growth novel, there are many things that affect the protagonist. The main character is generally affected most by peers. The people around them can change the way they act, think, and appear. An example of that would be Joe Dirt. This comedy is about a young boy (David Spade) searching for his parents that left him in the Grand Canyon when he was little. During his search, he comes across a wide variety of people that help him along the way. After the long journey, he comes to realize that his family isn’t missing, but they are right there in front of him. He learns that his friends are the ones that truly care for him. One emotion that can heavily affect growth in a bildungsroman novel is love. Love is present in some form in almost every bildungsroman book or movie. Forrest Gump is a great example of how love can direct the outcome of a movie. When Forrest was young, he met a young girl on a bus to school named Jenny. As soon as he met her he said, “She was the most beautiful girl I ever did saw”
Period 7
3-12-12
Research Paper Rough Draft When reading a book, do you ever feel like you have already read a plot like this before? Do you sometimes wonder if you have even read this book already? There are very similar patterns in writing books and producing movies. There are also very similar characters in these books and movies. One type of storyline in particular is the bildungsroman plot. This is the coming to age novel. Bildungsroman books trace back to Germany in the early 1900’s (Cengage). A bildungsroman story generally contains a protagonist who learns and grows as time progresses. This growth can be physical or moral. There are many stories containing this plot. An author tries to send a message out to the reader about life and how you can change. The question is, do all bildungsroman novels have the same outcome? I think that protagonists in bildungsroman stories all have a similar, successful turnout at the end of the story. In this growth novel, there are many things that affect the protagonist. The main character is generally affected most by peers. The people around them can change the way they act, think, and appear. An example of that would be Joe Dirt. This comedy is about a young boy (David Spade) searching for his parents that left him in the Grand Canyon when he was little. During his search, he comes across a wide variety of people that help him along the way. After the long journey, he comes to realize that his family isn’t missing, but they are right there in front of him. He learns that his friends are the ones that truly care for him. One emotion that can heavily affect growth in a bildungsroman novel is love. Love is present in some form in almost every bildungsroman book or movie. Forrest Gump is a great example of how love can direct the outcome of a movie. When Forrest was young, he met a young girl on a bus to school named Jenny. As soon as he met her he said, “She was the most beautiful girl I ever did saw”
Cited: "The Bildungsroman in Nineteenth-Century Literature." Enotes.com. Enotes.com. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/bildungsroman-nineteenth-century-literature-criticism/bildungsroman-nineteenth-century-literature>. "Forrest Gump 's Amazing And Colorful Tale." Orlando Sentinel. 22 Dec. 1996. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-12-22/entertainment/9612110532_1_forrest-gump-mykelti-williamson-soldier>. "A Great `Expectations`." Chicago Tribune. 07 July 1989. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-07-07/features/8902150624_1_great-expectations-great-expectations-disney-channel>. "The Little-known Dark Side Of Ender 's Game." Fabius Maximus. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/21238/>. Pool, Bob. "Commercialism Sold Huck Finn Character down the River, Twain Scholar Says." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/18/local/la-me-out-there18-2010feb18>.