Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship

Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, classic bildungsroman by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in German in four volumes in 1795–96 as Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1821; published in final form, 1829; Wilhelm Meister’s Travels), Goethe’s final novel, can be considered a sequel in which Wilhelm moves into the next phase of his life. The Apprenticeship sets forth the 18th-century humanistic ideal of self-education and the development of intellect. The Travels reflects Goethe’s commitment to 19th-century...