So first, what is a bildungsroman?
Merriam-Webster: A novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
This is it in a nutshell, although it is a bit more technical. In the bildungsroman, the writer's goal for the protagonist is maturity and there is usually a main conflict between the individual character and society at large. Generally, the protagonist reaches maturity by accepting the values of society and in return being accepted into society.
The bildungsroman genre arose in Germany, but spread to other European literary traditions in the 19th century and further abroad in the 20th. The term bildungsroman was popularized by German literary critic and historian Wilhem Dilthey in 1905.
The Harry Potter series has characteristics of the bildungsroman genre from the very beginning. We will look at these chapter by chapter, beginning with the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone.
Chapter 1: "The Boy Who Lived"
J. K. Rowling sets up a thematic element common to bildungsromans on the very first page: a conflict between the protagonist and society. The Dursley's here represent a type of society opposed to "magic." I think what is metaphorically meant here is that the Dursley's are representing society's rejection of nonconformity. Wizards do not conform to (muggle) society's standards, so they have to be shunned.
Harry Potter is an embarrassment to the Dursley's, so he has to be relegated to a lesser position within the family. Not only is he literally an orphan, but in the muggle world he always has a lesser position because of his nonconformity. For their part, the Dursley's are doing everything they can to suppress his development as an individual.
We may be reminded here of a similar theme in Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, where young, orphaned Copperfield has to face living with the simply awful Murdstones. They do everything they can to suppress his development as an individual, including beating him and sending him away to a boarding school run by an equally cruel master.
So as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone begins, Rowling first introduces the Dursley's. Their primary characteristic is their conformity. The Dursleys are "proud to say that they were perfectly normal" (1). They have one single fear: "They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters" (2). So already Rowling has set up the conflict between the conformity of the Dursleys and the probable nonconformity of Harry Potter. Harry Potter's potential to be different is a threat to the conformity of the Dursley's that has to be suppressed at all costs.
We also find out that Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter and was not able to. Rowling is already setting up the connection between Harry and Voldemort that will be a theme for the rest of the series. Not to give too much away yet, but i think it is safe to view Voldemort as Harry Potter's opposite in terms of the bildungsroman as well. While the Dursley's have been trying to suppress Harry Potter's development as an individual in favor of conformity, Voldemort, or Tom Riddle, is a warning about what can go wrong when a character throws off all the rules and values of society for his or her own self-will. Okay, I promise, no more spoilers or jumping ahead!
On the other hand, we see that Harry has protectors and eventual benefactors. In this chapter we meet Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid. Often even though the protagonists of bildungsromans are having their individuality supressed by characters like the Dursleys or the Murdstones, they have protectors and benefactors that help them along their path to developing as individuals. Think David Copperfield's eccentric Aunt Betsey Trotwood or Ms. Havisham from Great Expectations. The latter also should remind us that the benefactors may not turn out to be exactly who we think they are by the end of the novel, and this is true for Harry Potter as well.
These are some of the many characteristics the Harry Potter series shares with the bildungsroman genre, and I think we can argue that from the very beginning, Rowling is not only using these common literary themes, but also intentionally setting the Harry Potter series up to be a bildungsroman.
Why is any of this important? While some may say that Harry Potter is nothing but a children's or young adult series, it is actually quite sophisticated. Harry Potter has a very specific idea about the balance between conformity, social cohesiveness and the public good on the one hand and nonconformity, individual development and personal liberty on the other. I will continue to explore this balance as we progress through the series.
I will also add one additional thought. Harry Potter is another example of how "popular" literature can be more sophisticated than it is given credit for. We should not dismiss it without giving it a second thought.
Click here to continue to chapter 2 of Sorcerer's Stone
What an interesting look at my favorite series of all time. Before reading your post I hadn't heard of the term bildungsroman, but you have certainly made a great case! Fascinating read.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Keep stopping by for the rest :)
DeleteNice thoughts. You'd probably like John Granger's site.
ReplyDeleteFound you through the Goodreads competition. I'll keep an eye on you.
Thanks for suggesting Granger's site. I'm following that now.
DeleteInteresting to see your view on this! Harry Potter is in my opinion one of those books where one always thinks there's another aspect that one hasn't thought of, and when I did some research for school on the bildungsroman, this was the first book that came to my mind (granted, that might also be my lack of literary experience). So far I couldn't agree more with what you're writing.
ReplyDelete