This book examines forms of self-presentation in the modern novel by focusing on three novels (H. James: The Ambassadors, E Weiß: Die Feuerprobe, A. Camus: L’Étranger. At the same time, it outlines the shape of a ‘modern’ concept of genre. The existential philosophical Bildungsroman depicts crises of self-presentation, discarding exemplary aspects of character formation in favor of an alternative concept of literary self-awareness.