The Bildungsroman as a Woman’s Tale, in the Framework of Industrialisation

Abstract

The novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795-96) is seen as the ur-bildung, but the term Bildungsroman did not emerge until 1819. Since the introduction of this term many emphases have changed in the genre and in order to analyse these changes this paper focusses on later novels to elucidate the comparison. The focus will be on two novels: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and Hard Times by Charles Dickens, comparing them in the framework of the Bildungsroman. However, these novels take form within the framework of industrialisation with particular emphasis on women. For the analysis of North and South and Hard Times as Bildungsromane the female character Margaret Hale in North and South and the two female characters Sissy Jupe and Louisa Gradgrind in Hard Times will be analysed. Attention will also be given to the authors of the novels.