Is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde a 'negative Bildungsroman'? Differences and similarities in relation to the typical British Bildungsroman in the 19th century

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Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,7, University of Constance, course: Proseminar: The British Bildungsroman, language: English, abstract: This term paper concerns itself in detail with the question if the term "negative Bildungsroman" is appropriate to describe Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. As a first step, the terms "Bildungsroman" and "negative Bildungsroman" are defined and distinguished from another. Then, general differences and similarities between the novel and a typical British Bildungsroman of the 19th century are established, for example looking at narrative perspective and the childhood of the protagonist. Now, a closer look is taken at the novel itself and especially at the development of Dorian Gray. Questions discussed in this chapter include the impact of Sibyl Vane and her suicide on Dorian's development as well as the influence of the characters Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton. After establishing in which ways Dorian's development is a negative one, the conclusion sums up the the tension between this novel and the typical Bildungsroman as well as all the aspects that make this novel "negative".

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