Good day everybody!
Looking for novels — any era, any language — where:
- The protagonist has a creative talent (writing, art) but genuinely doesn't know it's their calling
- They want to "become someone" but don't know who or through what
- No external barriers (not poverty, not sexism, not family pressure) — full external freedom
- The reader can see the talent from page one. The protagonist cannot.
Classic Künstlerroman = artist knows their calling and fights for recognition. What I'm looking for is the opposite: unconscious Künstlerroman — the artist becomes who they are without ever deciding to.
Does this angle exist? Is there a name for it? Any examples — fiction, autofiction, any gender.
Thank you
by TaganaGirl