Either/Or Read as Bildungsroman

In this article, I investigate Either/Or’s generic affinity with the Bildungsroman. I demonstrate that it both imitates the topological structure (home-homeless-home) of this genre and that it is likewise composed of a number of formation narratives and tropes that mirror the Bildungsroman. This is documented by following the development of an often-overlooked textual figure at the conclusion of the second part of Either/Or and through a reading of “The Seducer’s Diary” as a demonic Bildungsroman with maieutic implications. Finally, I examine the relationship between the Bildungsroman and the Entwicklungsroman [novel of development] with particular attention to Kierkegaard’s late authorship.