Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Collier Books (1962), Paperback, 542 pages
Description
Wilhelm goes through deep self-realisation and decides to escape his empty life of a bourgeois businessman. After a failed romance with the theatre, Wilhelm commits himself to the mysterious Tower Society. A coming-of-age tale, a story of education and disillusionment, a novel of ideas ranging across literature, philosophy and politics, a masterpiece that resists all pigeonholing.
User reviews
LibraryThing member spiphany
A rather odd offering from Goethe. This novel perplexed me when I first read it, and in many ways it continues to do so. For a book which is often considered the original Bildungsroman -- a genre I associate with something like Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain, with its focus on the protagonist's
In spite of these concerns (some apparently shared by Goethe's contemporaries, whose critical reactions were mixed), Goethe remains a wonderful raconteur, and his writing is always a pleasure to read. This may actually be part of what makes the book so frustrating -- with a lesser writer it would be easy to dismiss the difficulties of the work as a lack of skill in developing plots, but Goethe has amply shown what he is capable of, so we keep looking for other explanations to understand what he is doing. Experimenting with realism, perhaps, with the artificiality of generic conventions.
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cultural mileau and its influence on his personal development -- Wilhelm Meister seems oddly disjointed and unteleological, and the characterization of Wilhelm remains incoherent. The novel makes the most sense if it is read as an exercise in style, since each of the books can be seen as experimenting with a different genre, but it is definitely not what I was expecting.In spite of these concerns (some apparently shared by Goethe's contemporaries, whose critical reactions were mixed), Goethe remains a wonderful raconteur, and his writing is always a pleasure to read. This may actually be part of what makes the book so frustrating -- with a lesser writer it would be easy to dismiss the difficulties of the work as a lack of skill in developing plots, but Goethe has amply shown what he is capable of, so we keep looking for other explanations to understand what he is doing. Experimenting with realism, perhaps, with the artificiality of generic conventions.
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LibraryThing member Schmerguls
1153 Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (read 14 Feb 1972) I do not appear to have done a post-reading note on this book, but I remember it was long and not very interesting and I was glad when I got to the last page.
LibraryThing member hbergander
It may be difficult nowadays to awaken a youngster’s interest for Goethe’s William. However, if an adolescent feels being artistically talented, he should be sure to remember William’s quotation: « ... mich selbst, ganz wie ich da bin, auszubilden, das war dunkel von Jugend auf mein Wunsch
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und meine Absicht ». (…to represent myself exactly as I am, that was my unconscious desire and intention up from youth.) (Sorry, own translation, certainly capable of improvement!) The point of the matter is the deep need of self-portrayal, which marks the difference between an artist and a common man. Show Less
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
This was a great read. It is no wonder why Goethe is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time in Germany and abroad. It is a classic tale that allows one to get into the sensibilities of the setting it was in while looking out at the greater world, towards freedom and
5 stars. EXCELLENT!
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self-discovery. This Bildungsroman is one that is definitely worth reading. Sections of the writing are simply brilliant and the story courses forward, like a current towards an endless ocean, in its graceful meaning. 5 stars. EXCELLENT!
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
Reason read: June 2023, botm Reading 1001
This is my first Goethe though he wrote so much and so much variety, maybe I’ve been exposed but unaware that I had. I listened to the audio which was updated version, Read by Leighton Pugh. This was Goethe's second novel, published in 1795/6. One could
I also have a book from the collected works, volume 9. This was translated by Eric A. Blackall and is slightly different from the audio version.
After reading the German novels or German based novels that we read recently, I was a bit dreading it but this turned out to be very readable. I thought is a bit long and at times it didn’t flow well for me but at least it had a plot however full of coincidences.
The key points seem to me to be theater, especially Shakespeare. It also included exploration of social class structure or social integration. And about finding one’s way in life.
There is quite a bit about architecture which I paid little attention to until I read that Goethe had a keen sense of architecture and could describe it such that the reader could actually picture it. Lotherio’s Estate; a nobleman’s home is suppose to show us that his home wasn’t that pretentious. It also had a secret side where a secret society met. The Hall of the Past featured art and music. I am not sure about the others.
Problems with the book for me is the disunity. Thus my question on Book 6. Here’s what my afterword has on book 6. “Where does Book Six fit in? Can it be conceived as a transition to the last two books: if so, in what sense? And those last two books; predominately concerned with ideas and debates about ideas, and yet shot through with elements that seem to fit uneasily into a novel on the ideational plane…” The novel was written at two different periods of Goethe’s life.
While this book had a plot it is one full of coincidences.
So the book is not a true Bildungsroman nor is it a book about Culture. It is about finding oneself (apprenticeship) — like Saul son of Kish who goes out looking for his father’s asses and ends up with a kingdom.
My summary “German finds Shakespeare”
This is my first Goethe though he wrote so much and so much variety, maybe I’ve been exposed but unaware that I had. I listened to the audio which was updated version, Read by Leighton Pugh. This was Goethe's second novel, published in 1795/6. One could
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say this was a coming of age story It is also considered a precursor to the Bildungsroman. It is considered an influential novel of the 19th century so therefore I guess it belongs on the 1001 list. This was a revision of Thomas Carlyle’s translation to improve on the archaic style.I also have a book from the collected works, volume 9. This was translated by Eric A. Blackall and is slightly different from the audio version.
After reading the German novels or German based novels that we read recently, I was a bit dreading it but this turned out to be very readable. I thought is a bit long and at times it didn’t flow well for me but at least it had a plot however full of coincidences.
The key points seem to me to be theater, especially Shakespeare. It also included exploration of social class structure or social integration. And about finding one’s way in life.
There is quite a bit about architecture which I paid little attention to until I read that Goethe had a keen sense of architecture and could describe it such that the reader could actually picture it. Lotherio’s Estate; a nobleman’s home is suppose to show us that his home wasn’t that pretentious. It also had a secret side where a secret society met. The Hall of the Past featured art and music. I am not sure about the others.
Problems with the book for me is the disunity. Thus my question on Book 6. Here’s what my afterword has on book 6. “Where does Book Six fit in? Can it be conceived as a transition to the last two books: if so, in what sense? And those last two books; predominately concerned with ideas and debates about ideas, and yet shot through with elements that seem to fit uneasily into a novel on the ideational plane…” The novel was written at two different periods of Goethe’s life.
While this book had a plot it is one full of coincidences.
So the book is not a true Bildungsroman nor is it a book about Culture. It is about finding oneself (apprenticeship) — like Saul son of Kish who goes out looking for his father’s asses and ends up with a kingdom.
My summary “German finds Shakespeare”
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Language
Original language
German
Original publication date
1795 (Part 1)
1796 (Part II)
ISBN
62-19179