Bildungsroman

 

 

 

Have you ever come to this word in literature?

I have learned about it, recently. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it. I practised several times, but it’s hard. When I looked it up, I found it’s a German word, more precisely a combination of two German words; Bildung and Roman.

Bildungsroman is a genre of a novel that shows the moral and psychological journey of the protagonist throughout the development of the story. This genre is also known as Coming-of-age which is popular in English literature.

Today I found out that many of the books I like are classified as bildungsroman; for example; Jane Eyre, To kill a mockingbird, Ann of Green Gables, and The secret life of Bees, Bridge to Terabithia, and the Alchemist.

This topic is worth investigating, especially if you are interested in postgraduate studies.

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

 

Names in fiction

 

 

 

 

The more I read, the more I realise that the characters’ names play an important role in stories. There is a special moment when characters introduce themselves, and when others respond. When the name has a significance, this moment becomes exceptional and impressive.

In real life, we, sometimes, pause and stare at the person introducing himself or herself, and feel something special, real, or odd about them.

One day, a friend was telling me about her sister’s newborn baby;

‘Shadow was doing so and so,’ she said, and I asked whether her sister is living in the Uk?

‘No,’ she said.

‘What’s the baby’s name again?’ I asked.

‘Shadow,’ she said.

‘Why your sister gave her baby an English name?’ I asked.

‘It’s Shadow, the Arabic name,’ she replied.

I couldn’t help laughing because Shadow in Arabic means the birds’ singing, the pronunciation is different, slightly, but it spells the same as the shadow in English.

It is interesting to play with this similarity of names in Fiction, isn’t it?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

 

 

 

The Captain’s daughter

One day I took my daughter to the local library to get a new book. She picked two, and it was my turn to choose mine. It was The last Pearl by Leah Fleming that caught my sight.

It was the first time to know about Fleming or read any of her books. It’s about a young woman, Greta’s journey in time and place. It’s about family, family poverty, family struggle, family failure, and family success. It’s about kindness, cruelty, misery, and happiness. And that’s the book I have been looking for.

Then I borrowed another book; The Captain’s Daughter. I expected to finish it by the end of the Christmas holiday, but I read it; done.

It’s the story of two Titanic survivors, two women that were destined to save the life of each other. It’s about kindness, friendship, family, motherhood, and humanity. If you’re interested in the setting of different countries, moving home, wartime, and relationships between different cultures and backgrounds, then this one is highly recommended.

And one more thing about the captain’s daughter, it explains how ‘the secrets in a woman’s heart are deeper than the ocean.’

Have you read any of Leah Fleming’s books?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla

2B

 

 

 

We all, actually not all, I mean those who studied literature or know about Shakespeare’s Hamlet would definitely remember the famous line ‘to be or not to be that is the question.’ Everyone has a story, a special story that s/he tries to live and be something throughout its lines, its days, its months and its years. We all try to be something. Ambition is multidimensional; power, wealth, success, knowledge, health, fame, family, etc are different directions to be something. I believe that every person has dreams and aspirations; whether they are great or humble, but we all have our own ‘to be’ plans.

One day, when I was coming back with my daughter from her friend’s birthday party, the taxi driver stopped at my house and looked at me; ‘to be,’ she said. I thought she was asking to make sure of the address, I said; ‘Yes, it is 2b.’ She then repeated seriously as if she was acting the scene; ‘To be or not to be that is the question.’ I looked at the number on my door and said; ‘Nice one’ and the two of us couldn’t stop laughing.

Isn’t it funny, as I didn’t notice that for about six months or more since we’ve moved, but the taxi driver did?

Has your address got any significance?

Wishing you all the best,

Nahla