Wilhelm Dilthey
The term was coined in 1819 by philologist Karl Morgenstern in his university lectures, and was later famously reprised by Wilhelm Dilthey, who legitimized it in 1870 and popularized it in 1905. The genre is further characterized by a number of formal, topical, and thematic features. The term "coming-of-age novel" is sometimes used interchangeably with "Bildungsroman", but its use is usually wider and less technical.