Key Facts
full title ·
Demian
author · Hermann Hesse
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
