Abstract
This article explores Gavin Weston’s Harmattan as an anti-Bildungsroman, subverting the traditional coming-of-age narrative through its portrayal of the protagonist Haoua, a young girl in Niger whose development is stunted by external forces such as poverty, gender oppression, and socio-political instability. Unlike a conventional Bildungsroman, which traces the protagonist's psychological, social, and moral growth, Harmattan presents a fragmented and regressive narrative structure. Haoua’s journey is marked by her inability to achieve personal growth, thwarted by socio-political conditions, oppressive societal norms, and familial obligations. The non-linear plot emphasizes the stagnation of Haoua’s development, underscoring the trauma and disillusionment she faces. Key elements of the anti-Bildungsroman are highlighted through Haoua’s denial of her educational opportunities, forced marriage, and the physical and emotional violence she endures. Her story concludes not with self-actualization but with personal and social disintegration, culminating in her imprisonment. Through this analysis, the article argues that Harmattan critiques the very possibility of personal fulfilment in the face of systemic oppression, making it a powerful example of anti-Bildungsroman in postcolonial African literature. Also, the article examines how the novel ultimately challenges the reader’s expectations of character growth and societal integration, presenting a bleak and unresolved vision of identity and agency.
References
- Addei, C., Osei, C., & Ennin, T. (2021). Coming of age through war: Exploring Bildung in Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 9(6), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v9i6.1934
- Austen, R. A. (2015). Struggling with the African Bildungsroman. Research in African Literatures. 46, 214-231.
- Bakhtin, M. (1986). The Bildungsroman and its significance in the history of realism: Toward a historical typology of the novel. In Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist (Eds.), Speech Genres and Other Late Essays (pp. 10-59). Austin: University of Texas Press.
- Bekoe, D. A. (2012). Niger: Will there be a third Tuareg rebellion? Global Coverage Analyses Program –Africa: Tracking and Issue Paper. Marginalized Groups in the Sahel. Institute for Defense Analyses.
- Esty, J. (2012). Unseasonable youth: Modernism, colonialism, and the fiction of development. Oxford UP.
- Ever, S. (2017). An apprenticeship in immaturity: Witold Gombrowicz’s Ferdydurke as an anti-Bildungsroman. SEFAD, 38, 393-406.
- Gehrmann, S., & Schönwetter, C. (2017). The African child soldier novel: Anti or alternative Bildungsroman? Working Paper No. 147. Hamburg University.
- Golban, P. (2014). Rewriting the hero and the quest: myth and monomyth in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH.
- Golban, P. (2017). An attempt to establish a Bildungsroman development history: Nurturing the rise of a subgenre from ancient beginnings to romanticism. Humanitas, 5 (10), 111-141.
- McGlathery, J. (1991). E.T.A Hoffmann and the Bildungsroman. In James N Hardin Editor, Reflection and action: Essays on the Bildungsroman. (pp. 314 – 328). University of South Caroline Press.
- Özdemir, A. N. (2018). Tante Rosa as an antiBildungsroman. Trakya University Journal of Social Sciences. 20 (2), 497-507.
- Swales, M. (1978). The German Bildungsroman from Wieland to Hesse. Princeton University Press.
- Weston, G. (2012). Harmattan. Myrmidon Books.
Abstract
Bu makale, Gavin Weston’ın Harmattan romanını bir “anti-Bildungsroman” olarak ele almakta ve Nijer'de yaşayan genç bir kız olan Haoua'nın gelişiminin, yoksulluk, cinsiyet baskısı ve sosyo-politik istikrarsızlık gibi dış etkenler tarafından engellenmesini incelemektedir. Geleneksel bir Bildungsroman, başkahramanın psikolojik, sosyal ve ahlaki gelişimini takip ederken, Harmattan kesintili ve geriye dönüş tekniğine sahip bir anlatı yapısı sunar. Haoua'nın yolculuğu, sosyo-politik koşullar, baskıcı toplumsal normlar ve ailevi yükümlülükler tarafından sekteye uğratılan kişisel gelişimini tamamlayamamasıyla karakterize edilir. Romanın çizgisel olmayan anlatısı, Haoua'nın gelişimindeki duraklamayı vurgulamakta ve karşılaştığı travma ile hayal kırıklığını gözler önüne sermektedir. Haoua'nın eğitim olanaklarının elinden alınması, zorla evlendirilmesi ve maruz kaldığı fiziksel ve duygusal şiddet, anti-Bildungsroman'ın temel unsurları olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Haoua’nın hikâyesi, kendini gerçekleştirme ile değil, kişisel ve toplumsal dezentegrasyonla ve nihayetinde hapsedilmesiyle sonuçlanmaktadır. Bu analiz aracılığıyla makale, Harmattan'ın sistematik baskılar karşısında bireyin kendisini gerçekleştirme olasılığını tartıştığını ve bu durumu postkolonyal Afrika edebiyatında güçlü bir anti-Bildungsroman örneği haline getirdiğini savunmaktadır. Ayrıca, bu çalışma romanın nihayetinde okuyucunun karakter gelişimi ve toplumsal entegrasyon beklentilerini nasıl altüst ettiğini, kimlik ve öznellik konusunda karamsar ve sonuca ulaşmayan bir bakış açısı sunduğunu incelemektedir.
References
- Addei, C., Osei, C., & Ennin, T. (2021). Coming of age through war: Exploring Bildung in Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 9(6), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v9i6.1934
- Austen, R. A. (2015). Struggling with the African Bildungsroman. Research in African Literatures. 46, 214-231.
- Bakhtin, M. (1986). The Bildungsroman and its significance in the history of realism: Toward a historical typology of the novel. In Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist (Eds.), Speech Genres and Other Late Essays (pp. 10-59). Austin: University of Texas Press.
- Bekoe, D. A. (2012). Niger: Will there be a third Tuareg rebellion? Global Coverage Analyses Program –Africa: Tracking and Issue Paper. Marginalized Groups in the Sahel. Institute for Defense Analyses.
- Esty, J. (2012). Unseasonable youth: Modernism, colonialism, and the fiction of development. Oxford UP.
- Ever, S. (2017). An apprenticeship in immaturity: Witold Gombrowicz’s Ferdydurke as an anti-Bildungsroman. SEFAD, 38, 393-406.
- Gehrmann, S., & Schönwetter, C. (2017). The African child soldier novel: Anti or alternative Bildungsroman? Working Paper No. 147. Hamburg University.
- Golban, P. (2014). Rewriting the hero and the quest: myth and monomyth in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH.
- Golban, P. (2017). An attempt to establish a Bildungsroman development history: Nurturing the rise of a subgenre from ancient beginnings to romanticism. Humanitas, 5 (10), 111-141.
- McGlathery, J. (1991). E.T.A Hoffmann and the Bildungsroman. In James N Hardin Editor, Reflection and action: Essays on the Bildungsroman. (pp. 314 – 328). University of South Caroline Press.
- Özdemir, A. N. (2018). Tante Rosa as an antiBildungsroman. Trakya University Journal of Social Sciences. 20 (2), 497-507.
- Swales, M. (1978). The German Bildungsroman from Wieland to Hesse. Princeton University Press.
- Weston, G. (2012). Harmattan. Myrmidon Books.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | July 1, 2025 |
| Publication Date | June 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | October 13, 2024 |
| Acceptance Date | May 10, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 19 Issue: 1 |
Çankaya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences
General Manager | Genel Yayın Yönetmeni, Öğretmenler Caddesi No.14, 06530, Balgat, Ankara.
Communication | İletişim: e-mail: mkirca@gmail.com | mkirca@cankaya.edu.tr
https://cujhss.cankaya.edu.tr/
CUJHSS, eISSN 3062-0112