Coming of Age
Mr. Murphy/Mrs. Pavlisin
C.P. English II
Semester 1
Synonyms for “coming of age?”
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Aging
Growth (esp. “growing up”)
Development
Maturation
Initiation
“Coming of Age?”
-A process of change
In Literature
• A classic motif
• A genre
• Examples of coming-of-age stories?
“bildungsroman”
• German
• From “bildung” (education) and “roman”
(novel)
• A type of coming-of-age story
• A genre
Elements of a bildungsroman
• Young protagonist experiences…
–desire to escape
–journey
–clashes w/ authority figures
–realizations about the world
–reconciliation w/ society
Why read bildungsromane?
• Reader can relate
• Vicarious/cathartic experience
• Helps reader mature
Bildungsromane we will read
together this year
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The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Night by Elie Wiesel
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Independent Reading Project
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Begins now—ends early November
Significant in-class reading time
Annotation requirement
In-class and online discussion
Comparison essay
Book selection:
–Must be something you haven’t read
before
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• Black Swan Green by
David Mitchell
– Protagonist: 13-yr.-old
boy w/ stammer
– Setting: 1980’s Britain
– Tension: bullying, family
conflict, desire to write
– Style: thoughtful, clear
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
– Protagonist: 9-yr-old boy
who invents
– Setting: Post-9/11 NYC
– Tension: Loss of father,
obsession
– Style: groundbreaking,
demanding
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• Everything is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer
– Protagonist: Jewish boy in
his 20s
– Setting: modern Ukraine
– Tension: Search for
ancestor info (holocaust)
– Style: interesting dialect
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
– Protagonist: pre-teen IrishAmerican girl
– Setting: early 20th century
– Tension: poverty and
problems that come from
living in a tough
neighborhood
– Style: frank yet heartfelt
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-Time by
Mark Haddon
– Protagonist: teen boy
w/ Asperger’s
– Setting: modern Britain
– Tension: family
problems/dog murder
– Style: syndrome affects
narrator’s voice
Options for bildungsroman/ comingof-age IRA:
• Mississippi Solo by Eddie
Harris
– Protagonist: AfricanAmerican man in his
early 20s
– Setting: Mississippi River
in 1990’s
– Conflict: W/ river, racism
– Style:
memoir/journalistic
Remember…
• Either buy book or get it from
library
• Must have book in hand by
Friday, 8/26 (1 week from today)