The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing | Literary Precedents

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Literary Precedents

Bank's book of stories fits into an important literary tradition which includes some of the world's most notable authors. The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing is, in essence, a coming of age story. Often called by its German term, the bildungsroman narrates an individual's education. This education can be artistic, spiritual, or, as is the case in Bank's book, social. Though most bildungsroman are novels, Bank's collection of stories, adheres, in its chronological focus on Jane's life, to the convention of moving from a protagonist's innocent beginning, through many mistakes, to a full maturation. The very title of the first story, "Advanced Beginners," underscores the notion that Bank's work is one of personal development. In the final story, Jane has rejected the dictates of others and gained the confidence to handle her social interactions on her own terms. Thus, she follows the standard track from innocence to experience.