• ASHISH AWASTHI

Abstract – The novel written in the bildungsroman genre started in the mid-nineteenth century in Europe. A novel that deals with the protagonist’s struggles for education, survival in society and his/her moral and psychological development in the story is known as a Bildungsroman. Since the 1980s, the term ‘bildungsroman’ has been widely used in literature among African critics, though in critical aspects. Nadine Gordimer, in her novel Burger’s Daughter (1977), portrayed Rosa Burger as a bildungsroman character. Since her childhood, she has witnessed the atrocities of apartheid law in South Africa. Her parents were also anti-apartheid, and they too have faced many trials and investigations imposed by the government. The development of Rosa Burger in the novel is an obvious example of a bildungsroman. Petals of Blood (1976) by Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a polyphonic novel set in post-independence, Kenya. Wanja is a central character of the novel and the whole plot of the novel is woven around her presence. Like Rosa Burger, she has also suffered many setbacks in her life. But she was determined to do something better in her life on her own. Wanja is a rare example seen in the writings of black African writers. This paper will explore the bildungsroman aspects in both the novels, primarily focusing on the protagonist of both the novels. The paper will try to explore how the phenomena of Western bildungsroman are different in the post-colonial and African contexts. The comparison of both the characters will also be done on the parameters of the bildungsroman aspect.

Keywords: Bildungsroman, African literature, Nadine Gordimer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Post-colonial Literature

"A Bildungsroman Study of Rosa in Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter and Wanja in Ngugi’s Petals of Blood: A Comparative Analysis. ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.11, Issue 1, page no.f579-f587, January-2024, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2401570.pdf

"A Bildungsroman Study of Rosa in Gordimer’s Burger’s Daughter and Wanja in Ngugi’s Petals of Blood: A Comparative Analysis. ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.11, Issue 1, page no. ppf579-f587, January-2024, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2401570.pdf