The Bildungsroman - the story of the development or formation of a young man - is the most famous German contribution to the European novel. Most studies of the Bildungsroman have concentrated on its underlying philosophy; Michael Minden addresses it as literature.

He offers detailed readings of some of the best-known novels in the German language, from Goethe to Mann, including Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, Agathon, Anton Reiser, Hyperion, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Der grune Heinrich, Der Nachsommer and Der Zauberberg.

Looking at the novels from the points of view of gender, subjectivity and ideology of the aesthetic, and taking account of late-twentieth-century literary theory, Minden uncovers aspects and motifs which subvert traditional ideas of the Bildungsroman and raise questions about the function and status of literature.