Building Bildungsroman = B: Blogging from A to Z

Day 2 of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I hope everyone is boldly bantering about Bs today.

Bildungsroman
(from Merriam-Webster)
Class of novel derived from German literature that deals with the formative years of the main character, whose moral and psychological development is depicted. It typically ends on a positive note, with the hero's foolish mistakes and painful disappointments behind him and a life of usefulness ahead. It grew out of folklore tales in which a dunce goes out into the world seeking adventure.

Otherwise known as a coming-of-age story.

The books that have stayed with me over the years tend to feature a young character struggling to figure out the conflicts swirling around them. A great example... The Book Thief. In it, young Liesel faces the horrors of  growing up in Germany during World War II. She has to grow up in circumstances that would destroy most adults. In horrific times, she finds her inner strength.

As a writer, I love to write these characters because the possibilities are endless. Young characters have one foot in childhood, and the naivete and wonderment associated with it, but they are testing the adult waters at the same time, trying to define who they want to be. They can be both optimistic and cynical, trusting and dubious. All in the span of a few minutes.

I disagree with the old saying that "youth is wasted on the young." The innocence and growth potential of youth would be wasted on those old enough to not embrace it, those already jaded by life events of pain and loss.

What is your favorite example of bildungsroman? 

Take a few minutes to visit other blogs on the B journey here.