Bildungsroman

The Bildungsroman is a novel (roman) that is meant to be a portrait (bildungs). This portrait should mold and shape those who read it, teaching them to follow the moral example the novel puts forth. Little Women is an example of this; Louisa May Alcott includes literal ‘portraits’ of the women gathered together, as in the opening scene where the girls gather around Marmee to read their father’s letter. These warm images of familial and feminine harmony are put forth as an example for the readers to follow, as are the characters’ lives. The book “Pilgrim’s Progress” plays a large part in Little Women’s being a Bildungsroman—the girls each receive one for Christmas as the novel opens, and frequently refer to it as they grow and mature spiritually.

--Emily Page