Abstract
This paper considers the well-known Young Adult author Tamora Pierce’s quartet The Song of the Lioness (1983-1988) as a ‘Bildungsroman’. Pierce’s fantasies for young readers are known for featuring strong-female protagonists as well as imaginative and well-defined plots. According to the Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms: “…the term applies to (…) fiction detailing personal development or educational maturation. As a literary genre, the form originated in Germany towards the end of the eighteenth century and Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795-6) is commonly regarded as the prototype” (24). This genre is synonymous with the education of the hero/heroine, which ultimately leads to his/her self-awareness. In this process, other characters tend to have limited roles, often acting as stepping-stones for the hero/heroine’s progress. Further, the hero/heroine’s path is often filled with several trials that ultimately help to bring out his/her his personality. Thus, leading to the achievement of selfhood. For instance, we may regard the famed knight Percival, as one of heroes of this genre who spent his in search of wisdom eventually finding it by discovering the much sought after Holy Grail. There may be several other examples like the journey of five Pandavas in the epic, The Mahabharata or the journey of Razia Sultan the muslim first empress of India. This paper thus makes an endeavour to analyse Tamora Pierce’s texts as a Bildungsroman. This paper therefore tries to demonstrate the journey of Alanna within the purview of the conventions of a Bildungsroman.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Bildungsroman, Femininity, Unconventional Hero, Female Hero, Selfhood
