Hegel and Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship
This essay examines Hegel’s interpretation of Goethe’s Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. It argues that, for Hegel, the archetypal modern novel depicts the struggles of idealistic youth as an “apprenticeship” that ends with the young man concerned becoming reconciled to the social order around him. The essay then looks closely at Goethe’s novel and assesses to what extent Hegel’s interpretation does justice to it. The conclusion is that it does, even though it overlooks many significant details. The essay then briefly compares Goethe’s novel with Hegel’s Phenomenology, which is itself often regarded as a “novel of education,” and notes that in both cases a self-absorbed consciousness is gradually transformed into one that finds satisfaction in mutual recognition. The essay concludes by comparing the accounts given by Hegel and Goethe of Hamlet and the beautiful soul.