Literature Help: Demian

By Students' Academy

The story is set against the backdrop of the First World War. It was the time of death and destruction. The novel very intelligently deals with the problem and experience of change.

The time of the First World War is often described as a period when the world was robbed of its innocence. Its impact was spread over several countries. The author explores the inner working of a young boy, during his growth and loss of innocence, against this horrible backdrop.

Literature Help: Demian
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Sep 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311388568

Students' Academy

Easy study guides for the students of English literature.

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Literature Help: Demian

Students' Academy

Copyright

Literature Help: Demian

Students' Academy

Copyright@2014 Students' Academy

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Chapter One: Introduction

Demian by Hermann Hesse is a Bildungsroman (Coming-of-age-story) novel. It was first published in 1919.

The subtitle of the novel is The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth. When the book was republished in the year 1960, a prologue was included.

When it was first published the author used the pseudonym Emil Sinclair. It is the name of the narrator of Demian.

Eventually, Hermann Hesse revealed that he was the author of the book.

The story is set against the backdrop of the First World War. It was the time of death and destruction. The novel very intelligently deals with the problem and experience of change.

The time of the First World War is often described as a period when the world was robbed of its innocence. Its impact was spread over several countries. The author explores the inner working of a young boy, during his growth and loss of innocence, against this horrible backdrop.

Chapter Two: Plot Overview

The story presents an older man’s reflections on his childhood. Emil Sinclair is the central character and protagonist of the story. He recollects several episodes of his childhood and how they changed his worldview.

The protagonist also describes what he was thinking at that time when the events took place and why he took certain steps in those situations.

The first episode that is present in the initial part of the book had taken place when Sinclair was only ten years old.

One day, he makes up a story that he had stolen some apples and then he was blackmailed by Franz Kromer, an eleven years old thug.

Sinclair does not have money to pay off the blackmailer. Now he begins to steal. He is constantly humiliated by Kromer.

One day, Max Demian, a little older boy enters Sinclair’s school. He is