THE BILDUNGSROMAN AS MONOMYTHIC FICTIONAL DISCOURSE: IDENTITY FORMATION AND ASSERTION IN GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The aim of the present study is to show what makes the protagonist of a
Bildungsroman to be at the same time the hero of the monomyth. In order to achieve
this purpose, after having defined and shown the essence of the Bildungsroman and
the monomyth, we disclose the fictional pattern of the novel of formation with its
thematic and structural elements interrelated to form a literary system, as well as the
three-dimensional structure of the monomyth encompassing the aspects of separation
– initiation – return. Finally, in matters of exemplification and practical
argumentation, and relying on a comparative approach, we would reveal similarities
and differences between the Bildungsroman and monomyth through textual reference
to a particular novel, namely Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.