Does anyone means what a "coming of age" novel is and what coming of age means?

Answer 1

"Coming of age" refers to becoming an adult. Try "Catcher in the Rye" for a good novel on the subject.

Answer 2

Coming Of Age Literature

Answer 3

Coming of age is when a girl matures into a young woman. A novel is about that experience. "Amalee" is a good example of a coming of age novel.

Same thing applies to boys maturing into young men. Try "Catcher in the Rye."

Answer 4

It is a novel about the main character growing up/reaching maturity/learning about who they really are and what is important to them. This is not the same as a "teen novel." Sometimes a coming-of-age story can have a character who is already an adult. (One of my favorite novels is described by the author as a coming-of-age story, and the main character is almost 30 years old in the later half of it.)

Answer 5

the coming of age novel is also considered a "bildungsroman". there are many classic english novels that use that idea. basically, coming of age is a story where the main character goes through some kind of personal or even physical journey and through that journey comes to realize certain things about themselves or experiences some kind of growth as an individual. usually it is an experience of growing up, or maturing into adulthood. a classic example of that is charles dickens "great expectations"

Answer 6

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RE:
Does anyone means what a "coming of age" novel is and what coming of age means?

Answer 7

There are many different examples of 'coming of age' novels, especially in American Literature (and to a greater extent, film) over the past century. The key exemplar of this is of course 'Catcher In The Rye' by J.D. Salinger. The term 'coming of age' is in itself ambiguous, but generally means the losing of adolescent naivete and coming into one's age. The majority of coming of age stories are normally set during the late teens of the protagonists lives, but as of late have shifted to early to mid twenties, and on occasion in the 40s (an example might be Kevin Spacey's character in 'American Beauty').

Coming of age tends to also happen in response to a traumatic event initiated by or encountered by the protagonist in the work. In 'Catcher in the Rye' it is Holden being expelled from private school and his encounters in New York City. The key part of the story centres on his divorce from the world around him but his implicit connexion with his younger sister in the key scene in the novel.

Often coming of age means that a character has come to the knowledge or clarity of their place in the world and who they are. These can be seen in rights of passage that teens often go through when entering adulthood.

Answer 8

It's any book in which the protagonist "grows up" at the end--comes to an adult understanding of something, an understanding so profound that we recognize they have left childhood behind.
Adair of Matchwriters.com

Answer 9

It doesn't necessarily mean becoming an adult. An adult story can be a "coming of age" story as well. It refers to the maturation of the character. Doesn't matter how old he/she is.

Answer 10

Coming-of-Age stories are those in which a young person has a life-changing experience that enables him or her to become an adult -- an individual both within and independent of society

Some examples:
1) Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens. "Great Expectations" is one of the most famous works by Charles Dickens. Philip (Pip) narrates the events of this novel years after the episodes occur. The novel also contains some autobiographical elements.

2) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is now considered an essential part of American literature. As an indispensable classic, Smith's book appears on reading lists across the country. It has profoundly influenced readers from all walks of life--young and old alike. The New York Public Library even chose the book as one of the "Books of the Century."
3) Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger. First published in 1951, "The Catcher in the Rye" details 48 hours in the life of Holden Caulfield. The novel is the only novel-length work by J.D. Salinger, and its history has been colorful.
4) To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee. "To Kill a Mockingbird" tells the story of a young girl, Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. The novel was popular at the time of its publication, though the book has also encountered censorship battles. Recently, librarians voted the book the best novel of the 20th century.
5).The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane. When "The Red Badge of Courage" was published in 1895, Stephen Crane was a struggling American writer. He was 23. This book made him famous.
6) The Member of the Wedding
by Carson McCullers. In "The Member of the Wedding," McCullers focuses again on a young, motherless girl, who is in the midst of growing up. The work had started out as a short story; the novel-length version was completed in 1945.
7) Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce. First published in the "Egoist" between 1914-1915, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is one of Joyce's most famous works, as it details the early childhood of Stephen Dedalus in Ireland. The novel is also one of the earliest works to employ stream of consciousness, though the novel is not as revolutionary as Joyce's later masterpiece, "Ulysses."
8) Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte. "Jane Eyre" (1847) was written by Charlotte Bronte. This romantic novel is about an orphaned young girl, who goes on to become a governess and teacher. She eventually finds love and a home for herself.
9) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain. Originally published in 1884, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is the journey of a young boy down the Mississippi River. Huck encounters thieves, murders, and various adventures.
10) Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston. HarperCollins Publishers. From the publisher: "This novel about a proud, independent black woman was first published in 1937 and generally dismissed by reviewers. It was out of print for nearly 30 years when the University of Illinois Press reissued it in 1978..." The book has been called "the greatest works in the canon of African-American fiction."