<P><B>A new edition of one of the greatest and most influential masterpieces of German literature—includes <I>Wilhelm Meister's Years of Apprenticeship</I> and <I>Wilhelm Meister's Years of Travel</I></B></P><P>Seduced by the chimerical world of the theater and taking upon himself the grand ambition of becoming a successful performer and dramatist, the merchant's son Wilhelm Meister embarks on a tumultuous quest of self-discovery. Along his path he finds himself having to negotiate love, desire, and the need to face up to his own past and responsibilities. A landmark in the history of European literature, Goethe's novel is not only one of the key works of Weimar Classicism and the prototype for the Bildungs­roman genre, but also a timeless tale of coming into one’s own and a fascinating portrayal of the late-18th-century theater world.