A Wolf Called Wander

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The term “Bildungsroman” was popularized by the philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey in 1905. “Bildung” is the German word for “education,” and “roman” means “novel.” What do you think this term might mean? If you’re unfamiliar with it, given the origins of the word—can you hazard a guess about what it refers to? What are some popular examples of Bildungsromans?

Teaching Suggestion: A “Bildungsroman” is a coming-of-age tale in which the young protagonist experiences growth and education as they move from childhood to adulthood. Some of the most classic Bildungsroman examples are Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Make sure that students come to understand, broadly, what this literary term refers to, and in doing so, guide them to see how, even though A Wolf Called Wander is a tale about wolves, it is still part of a larger tradition of coming-of-age stories.

• Students can read the official definition of “Bildungsroman” from Merriam-Webster.
• In this MasterClass article, the 4 phases typical of the structure of a Bildungsroman (loss, journey, conflict and personal growth, and maturity) are defined.