a type of novel often found in German literature, Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain being a good example of the form
A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character.
Novel that deals with a person's early life.
A bildungsroman (/, German: "novel of education" or "novel of formation") is a novel which traces the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character from (usually) childhood to maturity.