NOTE: THE BILDUNGSROMAN PROJECT IS NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS. PLEASE DO CHECK BACK, HOWEVER, AS WE PLAN TO RESUME IN THE FUTURE.
Interested in being published? We welcome 800-1,500 word creative personal narratives as well as 800-1,000 word encyclopedia articles.
Personal narratives should creatively describe a significant moment in your process of growing up. Using dialog, imagery, and other literary devices, your narrative should show your meaning rather than telling it outright. As you compose your essay, weave a thematic ribbon throughout your piece. Don't tie your message up in a bow at the end, however. Instead, enable your audience to tie it up themselves. The most sophisticated writing engages the reader in a pleasurable, productive, and plausible experience of interpretation and closure.
Encyclopedia articles must fit one of the following categories:
Overview of a bildungsroman work not already covered on the website. This type of article does not include close reading of the text, but instead must focus objectively on the work’s themes and its connections to the bildungsroman genre. It should also include relevant author background. Be sure you cite reliable sources.
Analytical close reading of a key motif in a bildungsroman of your choice. Do not include your opinion on the merit of the work, but rather construct an arguable interpretation that draws on textual support. We encourage you to incorporate at least one reliable critic, and quoting the text/film is a must.
Historical or cultural context article on a relevant topic that is not already featured on the website. Be sure you link the contextual material to at least one bildungsroman, and cite reliable sources.
All articles must be written in clean, straightforward, effectively-organized prose that is accessible to a general audience. They must be factually sound, and only draw on reliable sources. They should also include a captioned and relevant image from a public domain repository like Wikimedia Commons. Be absolutely sure that you are not violating copyright, and provide the highest resolution you can find.
For a list of possible bildungsromane on which to write, click here.
You can email your article to bildungsromanproject at gmail dot com. For queries that do not require an attachment, feel free to use this form.