Bildungsroman

Novel that deals with the psychological and emotional development of its protagonist, tracing his or her life from inexperienced youth to maturity. The first example of the type is generally considered to be C M Wieland's Agathon (1765–66), but it was Goethe's Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre/Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1795–96) that established the genre. Although taken up by writers in other languages, it remained chiefly a German form; later examples include Thomas Mann's Der Zauberberg/The Magic Mountain (1924).