THE BILDUNGSROMAN AS MONOMYTHIC FICTIONAL DISCOURSE: IDENTITY FORMATION AND ASSERTION IN GREAT EXPECTATIONS
THE BILDUNGSROMAN AS MONOMYTHIC FICTIONAL DISCOURSE: IDENTITY FORMATION AND ASSERTION IN GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present study is to show what makes the protagonist of a Bildungsroman to be at the same time the hero of the monomyth. In order to achieve this purpose, after having defined and shown the essence of the Bildungsroman and the monomyth, we disclose the fictional pattern of the novel of formation with its thematic and structural elements interrelated to form a literary system, as well as the three-dimensional structure of the monomyth encompassing the aspects of separation – initiation – return. Finally, in matters of exemplification and practical argumentation, and relying on a comparative approach, we would reveal similarities and differences between the Bildungsroman and monomyth through textual reference to a particular novel, namely Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

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