Great Examples of Entwicklungsroman in Fantasy

[McMurphy]

Readers and writers have long debated which element of a story is more important: the characters or the plot? Personally, I wouldn't think a truly gripping novel would be complete without both factors being fully evolved. I have always loved molding characters in my personal writing, and I have enjoyed fantasy novels that demonstrates the inner development of a principal character as (s)he pilgrims through an outer quest.

And that is exactly what entwicklungsroman literature does: it, as a type of bildungsroman, centers around the development of the main character, typically from birth to death.

The example I wish to put forth is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time: Watership Down by Richard Adams.

Richard Adams's Watership Down has many levels of meaning woven into itself. This story acts both as a novel and as a myth. If Watership Down only fulfilled one of the two, Richard Adams's creation wouldn't have attracted so many fans and critical applause. A hollow feeling and lack of significance would follow a reader if this was only a novel. Likewise, detachment would result if it was only a myth or a teaching tool.

Bildungsroman is present in both the myth and novel level. As a novel, Hazel's warren learn, teach, and work together to overcome the obstacles in the path of adventure. As the further down the path they go, the more mature and wise they become. On the myth level, it is more than rabbits who are learning the ways of life. All of us are part of this adventure. As the characters of myth experience and acknowledge aspects of life, they (we) take part in an evolution of a better race. This is true because, on the myth level, the reader and the characters in the story create a collective conscience. We all learn what one learns.

On the novel level, entwicklungsroman is present. Although all the characters share mutual experiences and mature from them, the best example is Hazel. He starts out in the tale as inexperienced and must learn much of life for the first time. This is the birth-to-childhood stage. Like the rest of the characters, he stays at this stage for much of the story. Hazel doesn't reach the adolescent or "teenage" stage until chapters 24 and 25. Here, he uses what he has learned for foolish and dangerous actions. On the account of this brashness, he was shot and nearly killed during the raid of the farm. Such an event shows that he had learned the lessons of childhood, but Hazel had not totally accepted the value of them. He enters the mature stage at this point where he uses his knowledge as a tool for survival and a weapon against new challenges. His death is, of course, the last stage of the entwicklungsroman.

Watership Down also acts as a guide in life (anthropomorphic myth). This story shows that peace and acceptance are key to live a fulfilling life by the challenges Hazel and the others face. There are many examples throughout the book, but the one that sticks most in my mind is when Hazel decides to accept Strawberry with the rest of the travelers. Another example is when, not only does Hazel accept some members of the General Woundwort's warren, but creates a peaceful co-existence between them for generations to come (Epilogue).

Hazel's personal development and progression from a childish creature into an mature and adult leader for his people ripple into the book's broader themes.

What other examples of entwicklungsroman literature do you have to share with the rest of us?

 

[Brys]

I think the Gormenghast series was intended as that, but of course Peake died before it was completed (it was going to be a biography of Titus Groan).

A lot of magic realism novels also seem to be this type of literature - Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (though it can also be seen as an allegory for the life of independent India), John Crowley's Little, Big, and Gabriel Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.

 

[j d worthington]

Pardon me if this seems ignorant, but I'm going to ask for some clarification here. The distinction I'm getting between the Bildungsroman and the Entwicklungsroman you're describing is that the Bildungsroman per se tends to be centered around the development, education and maturation of a young protagonist, whereas the Entwicklungsroman takes it further, through the later stages of life, as well. Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding?

If this is correct, then I'd have to think about the different examples I've come across to make sure they actually fit. But I can think of one rather odd one right off the bat: "The Dunwich Horror", in which (as has been argued) the Whateley twins are the actual heroes -- they certainly fit the archetypal hero myth best, with its various stages; but this puts it into a bitterly ironic usage, perhaps even parody. Nonetheless, it's an interesting example, I think.

Good thread. This one'll keep my little noggin chewing for a while... Just the sort of thing I get a kick out of. Thanks!

 

[GOLLUM]

Pardon me if this seems ignorant, but I'm going to ask for some clarification here. The distinction I'm getting between the Bildungsroman and the Entwicklungsroman you're describing is that the Bildungsroman per se tends to be centered around the development, education and maturation of a young protagonist, whereas the Entwicklungsroman takes it further, through the later stages of life, as well. Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding?

First of all I agree this is one of the better threads I've seen from a literary point of view. Having German as a second language the differences b/w these 2 words from my perspective is pretty minmal as to almost be interchangeable. However McMurhpy is technically correct in siuggesting that Bildungsroman is part of a collective term that includes Entwicklungsroman or "novel of development", Erziehungsroman or "novel of self-training and education," and Kunstlerroman or "novel about an artist's development" all of which are most commonly achieved thorugh the vehicle of the "quest" element. Nuances beyond this broadish definition can get fairly heavy, so suffice to say this is as good an overview definition as I know of.

Focusing more on Entwicklungsroman it's really a novel of development, usually of a youth to older age but not always death and focuses more on the general growth of a character through their life rather than necessarily their inner development or self-culture that may contibute towards their maturity.

Hope this clarifies things a little as complicated as this topic can be....

PS Having said that German literati will often hold up Shelley's Frankenstein as a classic example of the Entwicklungsroman, however I think I'll let wiser heads than mine decide upon that.

Sleep beckons, farewell thee...

 

[j d worthington]

May not be what you're looking for, but essentially that's what's going on, of course, through Frodo in LotR; even more than Gandalf, perhaps, Frodo is the hero archetype/Christ figure, and goes through the various stages, but it's put in dramatic terms and shows gradual character growth throughout the course of the novel, almost entirely from outside his head, through the views of others. And there's also Moorcock's Breakfast in the Ruins -- though it's stance as fantasy is somewhat problematic; it's neither fish nor fowl, I suppose, and with its interplay of three techniques to examine the growth of Glogauer's character (the sexual awakening/apparently main story, the densely written sections dealing with the different Glogauers, and the "What Would You Do?" ethical/moral posers), is a rich and complex novel that almost literally takes us from Karl's earliest ages to death (or at least one of them).

Anderson's The Broken Sword also deals with this, though here he's more of a synecdocical figure rather than truly mythic in stature. Nonetheless, he stands in for the experience of those of his time and one learns a great deal about maturation through the novel, brief though it is. And there's even that twining of elements in Petronius' Satyricon, though again used largely with extreme irony -- but serious issues are being discussed here with the broad humor, and he changes pace on you quite unexpectedly to present some very moving examples. Not, of course, for everyone; the subject matter is bound to offend many and bore others. The Epic of Gilgamesh, fragmentary though it is, also fits into this category quite nicely, and is a brief read that nonetheless presents a lot of complexity. James Branch Cabell's "The Biography of the Life of Manuel", in its 18-volume authorized edition (otherwise it's 25 volumes in length, as I recall), is an exceptionally rich and complex version of this, using Manuel not only during his life, but as he is throughout his descendants (possibly different incarnations?) to explore these themes using both mythic and anti-mythic approaches, as set up by the first volume, Beyond Life which is, on the surface, a literary discussion -- when it is, in reality, anything but restricted to that. Again, Cabell's extremely dense and richly textured style and language, and his sometimes heavy irony, is not for everyone, but this is a magnificent achievement that is worthy to stand with some of the great literature of the past century.

These are a few that come to mind. I'm sure I'll think of others, if that wouldn't be too much -- I know I tend to rather kidnap such lists these days.... (though I'm not too sure anyone would pay the ransom)

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It seems to me that according to the definition provided by our German-speaking friend, a great deal of fantasy -- particularly epic fantasy -- falls into this classification, since the young person who strikes out into the world, discovers or makes his or her place in it, and is altered by a variety of significant experiences along the way, is a popular theme.

Although my quarrel is with books that only seem to do this: the main character certainly grows older and more powerful (often enough merely by learning of his or her own origins or especially assigned destiny, rather than by actually earning power and influence), without noticably maturing beyond the level of late adolescence, either in their thoughts, their actions, or (particularly) in their dialogue. Perhaps these are what one might call pseudo-entwicklungroman?

But as for good examples ... Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn comes immediately to my mind, partly because I was just discussing it in another thread, and partly because Simon, the main character, is so effectively transformed mentally and emotionally, as well as grown in social stature, by the end of the story. At the beginning, he's a feckless, dreamy youth, who can't seem to succeed at even the most menial task, and by the final volume (during which time he has undergone several lifetimes worth of experience, even though it's only a couple of years later), he is an adult, not only worldly-wise and capable, but able to look back on the people and the events of his early life with greater maturity and understanding.

 

[McMurphy]

Pardon me if this seems ignorant, but I'm going to ask for some clarification here.

Bildungsroman focuses on the adolescence to maturity transition of a character. For example, a rites of passage tale is a bildungsroman.

While Gollum did a fantastic job expanding on the definition-summary of entwicklungsroman that I provided, he may have unknownly caused some confusion. An inner cultural development of a character is often part of the entwicklungsroman or included within the general development, and treating the former development sans relationship with the latter is pretty unorthodox.

Frodo is an excellent example, as would be Bilbo. The hero's quest archetype lends heavily to entwicklungsroman examples....when a said work is done correctly, that is. I have read literature that has unfortunately left the main character stagnant in growth: using him/her as nothing more than vehicles to further the plot. Roland in Stephen King's Dark Tower series is largely guilty of this fault, when one discounts the flashbacks to Roland's adolescence.

Which narrative type do the rest of you prefer when witnessing the development of a character in literature: first person or third person (limited)? I haven't pinpointed why exactly, but I have always been more of a fan of the third person narration. First person entwicklungsroman needs to be very well done and fluid for it to be at all successful and void of blatant brush strokes by the author.

 

[GOLLUM]

Who said anything about "unintentional"....

Not sure if I'm fully in sync with you on this one but we'll go with your definition as much as to move this thread forward as for any other reason.

HMMM...start to put my thinking cap on then....

 

[j d worthington]

I think that, despite being a big fan of the "first person" pov, when it comes to this sort of story, third person limited is probably the best, with occasional glimpses of omniscient narration, very lightly done. I'd say this allows the reader to develop with the character and create and further their own particular development/take on the effect on the character, which allows for more richness and ambiguity, and a more subtle approach.

 

[McMurphy]

The Man from Mars?

I completely agree with Worthington in regards to his post about third-person narration. Maybe I am just doomed to forever be an amateur writer, but I can't figure out a way to approach the character development in first person without being really obvious about it without my character relating thoughts such as, "Wow. After that last tiger-pit, I sure don't feel that I need to justify my actions to the Royal Family anymore...."

Like Gollum said, the thinking caps are on. I'm trying to think of examples that are outside of Tolkein's and his imitators' halls of literature. The best that is presently coming to mind is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. Would that novel count? While I have never been a big fan of this book (side note: lightning actually just lit up the night sky when I typed that here in Venice), we, the readers, do witness much of Valentine's life, and he certainly develops from an alien without any understanding of human culture and into a messiah of his own rite who is able to work human customs (or purposefully defy them) to his advantage. I realize that Heinlein's intended focus appears to be of the book's other themes, which are far from subtle in the book's second half, but the task of breaking Valentine's developments into a timeline wouldn't be impossible.

The book may serve as a good example of entwicklungsroman outside of the Hero's Quest formula.

 

[j d worthington]

Well, if we're including sf in fantasy (quite justifiable in my opinion, as in that of many early anthologists) then Heinlein's entire juvenile series would fit the description nicely. As the series progresses, too, we often see characters go from young protagonist to adults, sometimes very far along that line. And, whatever their faults, these are very entertaining and thought-provoking books. For that matter, a great deal of Heinlein's work is along these lines, including Friday, Time Enough for Love, even I Will Fear No Evil, in its own odd way (I find that I have a growing fondness for that book; a book I initially despised with a passion). Certainly Brian Aldiss' Hothouse series, or its novel form The Long Afternoon of Earth, would fit into this category. Also the Asimov/Silverberg collaboration The Bicentennial Man (novel) or Ike's own short story version, fits the category nicely, as does Eando Binder's Adam Link, Robot. (The latter is written from the first-person point of view, by the way.)

Yes, I'm definitely going to have to give this some more thought.....

 

[beenorthern]

There are innumberable examples in SF & F, from solo novels like Alex Panshin's *Rite of Passage* to series like Lloyd Alexander's Taran series ... I'll also mention:

*A Million Open Doors* John Barnes
*Mission Child* Maureen McHugh
*The Once and Future King* T.H. White
*O Master Caliban!* Phyllis Gotlieb
*A Heroine of the World* Tanith Lee
*Downbelow Station* C.J. Cherryth

In each, we have a young protagonist who grows in experience as the novel progresses.

 

[Kettricken]

A few book that immediately come into my mind when talking about Entwicklungsromans:

* "Farseer trilogy" by Robin Hobb - I think she does an excellent job with the development of the character of Fitz.
* "Forest of hours" by Kerstin Ekman - the development of Skord... beautifully done!

 

[BAYLOR]

Nights Master by Tanith Lee come to mind.