bildungsroman (bîl´d¢ngz-ro-män´, -d¢ngks-) or  Bildungsroman noun
A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character.

Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition  © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.

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