Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship

An authoritative English translation of one of the most important works in the history of the novelWilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795–1796), Goethe’s second novel, is a foundational work in th ...

An authoritative English translation of one of the most important works in the history of the novelWilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795–1796), Goethe’s second novel, is a foundational work in the history of the genre—perhaps the first Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story focusing on the growth and self-realization of the main character. The story centers on Wilhelm, a young man living in the mid-1700s who strives to break free from the restrictive bourgeois world of his upbringing and seek fulfillment as an actor and playwright. Goethe’s novel had a huge impact on the Romantics. Hegel, Schel