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At a Glance:
Full Title Demian
Author Hermann Hesse
In-depth Facts:
Type of Work Novel
Genre Bildungsroman (a coming-of-age novel about education or moral development)
Language German
Time and place written 1917, Switzerland
Date of First Publication 1919
Publisher S. Fischer
Narrator Emil Sinclair
Climax Sinclair's discovery that the woman he has been painting is Demian's mother
Protagonist Emil Sinclair
Antagonist Society in general—those who do not bear the mark
Setting (time) A span of ten years prior to World War I, roughly 1905–1915
Setting (place) Germany—Sinclair's hometown and the cities in which he is educated
Point of View An older Sinclair, looking back at his childhood
Falling Action Demian runs into Sinclair, who invites him by his house to meet Eva.
Tense Past
Foreshadowing Since Sinclair is writing about his own experience after the fact, he is able to constantly foreshadow his future developments; this happens often with regard to ways he will think in the future, but also with events, for instance, the war
Tone Contemplative and analytic; psychological
Themes Psychology; good and evil; the will; narration
Motifs The mark of Cain; mentoring relationships
Symbols The sparrow hawk
