An Analysis of the Nineteenth- century Bildungsroman Engage with Ideas of ‘Self-help’ or ‘Self- culture’

Jingwen Du

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202606_9(6).0018

An Analysis of the Nineteenth- century Bildungsroman Engage with Ideas of ‘Self-help’ or ‘Self- culture’

Jingwen Du

International Journal of Social Science and Education Research, (2026), Vol.9, No.6, pp.170-175

Published: June 11, 2026

DOI: 10.6918/IJOSSER.202606_9(6).0018

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Abstract

According to Samuel Smiles mentioned in his classic work Self-Help:With illustrations of character and conduct, ‘Heaven helps those who help themselves.’ This quotation seems to clearly explain what self-help is. Smiles also interpreted it further, ‘The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the true source of national vigour and strength.’ This quotation recalls the title’s question I will explore in this essay that means self-help as a driving force for personal growth is the true source of a nation’s strength and prosperity. Therefore, when it comes to the connection between the ideas of ‘self-help’ or ‘self-culture’ and the nineteenth-century Bildungsroman, I hope to use two literary works as well as Samuel Smiles’s classic literary work Self-Help: With Illustrations of Character and Conduct to explore this issue. Then, I will divide the structure of this essay into four parts. The literary works that I have chosen are Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations and Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure.

Keywords: Bildungsroman; Self-help; Self-culture; Great Expectations; Jude the Obscure.

APA Citation: Jingwen Du (2026). An Analysis of the Nineteenth- century Bildungsroman Engage with Ideas of ‘Self-help’ or ‘Self- culture’. International Journal of Social Science and Education Research, 9(6), 170-175. https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202606_9(6).0018

References

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