4th ESO students' book reviews

1. Demian
By Yaiza

2. Demian.
• Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth is
a Bildungsroman by Hermann Hesse, first
published in 1919; a prologue was added
in 1960.

3. Hermann Hesse 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962
• He was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and
painter. His best-known works
include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha,
and The Glass Bead Game, each of them focuses
on exploring the main character’s psychological
growth. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in
Literature.

5. Bildungsroman
• Novel of formation, novel of education,
or coming-of-age story is a literary genre that
focuses on the psychological and moral growth
of the protagonist from youth to adulthood
(coming of age),in which character change is
extremely important

6. Characters
• Emil Sinclair is the protagonist of the novel.
Sinclair is confused as to what his life is, and is
going to be, and constantly seeks mentorship
throughout the novel.
• Sinclair's mother and father are the symbols of
safety where Sinclair first finds refuge, but
against whom he eventually rebels.
• Franz Kromer is a bully, whose psychological
torture leads Sinclair to meet Demian.

7. Characters.
• Max Demian is a childhood friend and a mentor
of Sinclair. Demian leads Sinclair to his eventual
self-realization.
• Alfons Beck is the "sarcastic and avuncular"
oldest boy at the boarding house where Sinclair
enrolls after his confirmation.
• Pistorius is a rector, an organist at a local
church, and a temporary mentor for Sinclair
• Frau Eva is Max Demian's mother.

9. Plot.
• Emil Sinclair is a young boy raised in a middle
class home, "world of light" as well as "world of
illusion". Emil's entire existence can be
summarized as a struggle between two worlds:
the show world of illusion and the real world, the
world of spiritual truth.

11. Abraxas
• The Gnostic deity Abraxas is used as a symbol
throughout the text, idealizing the
interdependence of all that is good and evil in
the world.