Matos-Caro, Angel D.

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    Materializing the specter: The scapegoat and the Victorian bildungsroman
    (2011) Matos-Caro, Angel D.; Batra, Nandita; College of Arts and Sciences - Arts; Haydock, Nickolas; Irizarry Rodríguez, José M.; Powers, Christopher; Carroll, Kevin S.; Department of English; Landers, Matthew
    This thesis will explore and scrutinize the literary genre of the formation novel or novel of education, formally known as the Bildungsroman, in order to develop a solid yet encompassing comprehension of this somewhat blurry and convoluted genre. It will be argued that social assimilation, contrary to popular belief, is not a necessary step within the Bildungsroman formula, but rather, it is a motif used to fulfill the novel’s true purpose: to highlight discordant ideologies of growth and maturation via the protagonist’s choice to either comply with social norms, or transgress these norms in order to comply with their thoughts and desires. Furthermore, it will be pointed out that a series of scapegoatings, removals, and exclusions throughout Bildungsromans serve to facilitate the protagonist’s choice of whether or not to transgress the social and moral parameters established within a community. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that the scapegoating mechanism is not only important, but crucial, for the development and thorough understanding of the social, moral, psychological, and literary forces present within the Bildungsroman genre. The study of a small selection of novels written during the Victorian period, which was the pinnacle of the Bildungsroman genre, will be used to facilitate this discussion.