Bildungsroman Genre Speech

Good afternoon Miss. Laird and fellow students. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett are both novels of the Bildungsroman genre. The Bildungsroman genre categorises coming-of-age novels that trace numerous developments of the protagonist. The appeal of this genre lies within its ability to capture universal human experiences by the means of its conventions. Some conventions include emotional maturation and a mentor that guides them through a journey. Universal human experiences captivated by these conventions are growing up and comfort brought about by another person.

The emotional maturation occurring in Bildungsroman novels, presents the human experience of growing up through the theme of perseverance for change. This is evident in To Kill A Mockingbird, when Atticus continues to fight for a black man, unshaken by the prejudicial views of society. Harper Lee uses explanatory and courageous tone in It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what, allowing the reader to feel more involved in the fight as Scout learns and matures from Atticus wise words. Harper Lee uses colloquial language in, Jem and I would get grown but there was not much else left for us to learn, allowing the reader to relate with Scout, while also casually emphasising Scouts human experience of growing up. Similarly, in The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox puts her own contentment aside in order for change to be brought about in her cousin, Colin. This is seen in the quote, You can! shouted Mary. Half that ails you is hysterics and temper just hysterics hysterics hysterics! where Burnett uses exclaimed dialogue, repetition and broken syntax to add power to Marys voice and again, allow the reader to feel a part of the fight. Colin learns much from this and at once he is silenced. The universal human experience of growing up is seen within Colin in the quote, No one but Colin himself knew what effect those crossly spoken childish words had on him. The clever use of third person narration to convey this characters feelings without the complicated details, gives the reader a basic understanding of Colins emotional maturation. Therefore, the convention of emotional maturation seen in both texts appeals to the reader by presenting the universal human experience of growing up, through the mutual theme of perseverance for change.

Another convention of the Bildungsroman genre is the mentor character type that guides the protagonists on their journey, which puts forth the universal human experience of comfort brought about by another person. In The Secret Garden, the theme of the necessity of human companionship is seen when the protagonist, Mary Lennox says, With a moor boy and his "creatures," there was no room left for disagreeable thoughts.

Burnett uses literal language to clearly convey the influence of a mentor and comfort brought about by another person, Dickon. Likewise, using the theme of the necessity of human companionship, Harper Lee, in To Kill A Mockingbird, conveys Atticus as Scouts mentor. This is shown when Lee uses explanatory tone in Atticus dialogue, Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash, to explain to the reader the positive influence Atticus has on Scout, teaching and guiding her to believe what is right. Therefore, through the theme of the necessity of human companionship, both texts present the convention of a mentor that guides them through a journey which captures the human experience of comfort brought about by another person and in turn, appeals to the reader.

With a close examination of the conventions I have presented, in the texts, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, it can be concluded that the statement, The appeal of the Bildungsroman genre lies within its ability to capture universal human experiences contains much truth. The universal human experiences captivated by these conventions are growing up and comfort brought about by another person.

THANK YOU.