The Apprenticeship Novel

Download or read book The Apprenticeship Novel written by Randolph P. Shaffner and published by New York : P. Lang. This book was released on 1984 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea that a young person can become adept in the art of life by passing through definite stages, until at last he becomes a master, lives at the core of the apprenticeship novel. Recognized among German critics as the «Bildungsroman», this type of novel has yet to be adequately defined on a grand scale for the English reader despite nearly two centuries of its development. In an attempt to describe the apprenticeship novel as a modifiable type in Western literature, Mr. Shaffner combines a theoretical stance with analyses of three concrete examples drawn from over a hundred potential candidates.