In
genre studies, a
coming-of-age story is a
genre of
literature and
film that focuses on the growth of a
protagonist from youth to adulthood ("
coming of age"). Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal monologue over action, and are often set in the past. The subjects of coming-of-age stories are typically teenagers. The
bildungsroman is a specific subgenre of coming-of-age story. It is especially prominent in literature and focuses on the protagonist's psychological and moral growth, and thus character change is extremely important.