Goethe, Volume 9

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, a novel of self-realization greatly admired by the Romantics, has been called the first Bildungsroman and has had a tremendous influence on the history of the German novel. The story centers on Wilhelm, a young man living in the mid-1700s who strives to break free from the restrictive world of economics and seeks fulfillment as an actor and playwright. Along with Eric Blackall's fresh translation of the work, this edition contains notes and an afterword by the translator that aims to put this novel into historical and artistic perspective for twentieth-century readers while showing how it defies categorization.

BOOK ONE 1 Chapter One 1 Chapter Two 2 Chapter Three 4 Chapter Four 6 Chapter Five 7 Chapter Six 9 Chapter Seven I I Chapter Eight 13 Chapter Nine 15 Chapter Ten 17 Chapter Eleven 20 Chapter Twelve 22 Chapter Thirteen 23 Chapter Fourteen 27 Chapter Fifteen 30 Chapter Sixteen 34 Chapter Seventeen 36 BOOK TWO 41 Chapter One 41 Chapter Two 42 Chapter Three 47 Chapter Four 49 Chapter Five 59 Chapter Six 60 Chapter Seven 61 Chapter Eight 64 Chapter Nine 65 Chapter Ten 69 Chapter Eleven 71 Chapter Twelve 75 Chapter Thirteen 7 7 Chapter Fourteen 79 BOOK THREE 83 Chapter One 83 Chapter Two 87 Chapter Three 90 Chapter Four Chapter Five 95 Chapter Six 96 Chapter Seven 99 Chapter Eight 101 Chapter Nine 105 Chapter Ten 109 Chapter Eleven 112 Chapter Twelve 115 BOOK FOUR 119 Chapter One 119 Chapter Two 123 Chapter Three 127 Chapter Four 129 Chapter Five 131 Chapter Six 133 Chapter Seven 135 Chapter Eight 136 Chapter Nine 138 Chapter Ten 140 Chapter Eleven 141 Chapter Twelve 143 Chapter Thirteen 144 Chapter Fourteen 146 Chapter Fifteen 148 Chapter Sixteen 152 Chapter Seventeen 158 Chapter Eighteen 160 Chapter Nineteen 163 Chapter Twenty 166 BOOK FIVE 169 Chapter One 169 Chapter Two 171 Chapter Three 174 Chapter Four 176 Chapter Five 179 Chapter Six 182 Chapter Seven 185 Chapter Eight 187 Chapter Nine 189 Chapter Ten 190 Chapter Eleven 194 Chapter Twelve 196 Chapter Thirteen 198 Chapter Fourteen 202 Chapter Fifteen 203 Chapter Sixteen 206 BOOK SIX: CONFESSIONS OF A BEAUTIFUL SOUL 217 BOOK SEVEN 257 Chapter One 257 Chapter Two 261 Chapter Three 263 Chapter Four 266 Chapter Five 270 Chapter Six 273 Chapter Seven 284 Chapter Eight 288 Chapter Nine 301 BOOK EIGHT 305 Chapter One 305 Chapter Two 310 Chapter Three 316 Chapter Four 324 Chapter Five 330 Chapter Six 340 Chapter Seven 345 Chapter Eight 352 Chapter Nine 354 Chapter Ten 363 Notes 375 Afterword 381