I did not finish this. It's extremely long and rather boring and I could just not bring myself to read further than 55 pages. Maybe one day.

Nu hoef ik voor de komende tien jaar even geen Goethe meer te lezen.

Considered as Goethe's first novel (Sorrow of Werther was a novella), Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship won't easily come as a likable novel to modern readers. (The Afterward explains why this is so very well.)

Being disillusioned and finding one's true self as bildunsroman... I felt much likeness to Hesse's novels.

Reading a novel that was written about 250 years ago...

Major theme in the novel is Chance?
The limitations, of an entirely inner-oriented existence.
Between an idealistic and a realistic purpose
The most important thing is to recognize what is of one's own, what is one's own fruition.

"Why is it that the brightest colors in life always appear against a dark background? Must raindrops, or tears, fall if we are to experience true joy? A bright day is no different from a gray one if we observe it unmoved. And what is it that moves us but the silent hope that the native desires of our hearts may not remain without objects to focus on? We are moved by the account of good deeds, the contemplation of harmonious objects, and as a result we feel that we are not completely adrift in this world, but are drawing nearer to some sort of destination toward which all that is deepest and best in us has long been impatiently tending." - p. 257

"Definite inclination, early opportunities, external impetus and continuous occupation in useful pursuits make all sorts of things possible in this world of ours." - p. 272

internal vs. external
understanding vs. action

Certificate of Apprenticeship:
Art is long, life is short, judgment difficult, opportunities fleeting. Action is easy, thinking is hard: acting after thinking, uncomfortable. Every beginning is joyous, every threshold a point of expectation. The boy stares in wonder, impressions condition him, he learns in playing, seriousness takes him by surprise. Imitation is natural to us all, but what to imitate is not easily ascertained. Rarely is the best discerned, still more rarely appreciated. Height attracts us, not the steps upwards; with the mountaintop in our eyes we linger lovingly on the plain. Only a part of art can be taught, an artist needs the whole. Those who know only half of it, are always confused and talk a lot; those who have the whole, act and talk little, or long afterwards. The former have no secrets and no strength, their teaching is like freshly baked bread, tasty and satisfying for one day; but flour cannot be sown and the fruits of the grain should not be ground. Words are good, but they are not the best. The best is not made clear by words. The spirit in which we act, is what is highest. Action can only be grasped by spirit and portrayed by spirit. No one knows what he is doing when he acts rightly, but we are always conscious of what is wrong. He who works only with signs, is a pedant, a hypocrite or a botcher. There are many such, and they get on well together. Their gossiping impedes the student, and their persistent mediocrity alarms those who are best. The teaching of a real artist opens up sense; for where words are lacking, action speaks. A true pupil learns how to unravel the unknown from the known, and thereby develops toward mastery.

공부만 하는건 최고의 실패

Es ist wirklich schade, einen Goethe abzubrechen - aber nur weil es Goethe ist, heisst das noch lange nicht, dass ich ein Buch, das mir nicht zusagt, auch beenden muss. Schliesslich lese ich es nicht für die Schule, sondern wenn, dann für mich. Oder für eine Challenge...

In Wilhelms Geschichte fand ich leider absolut nicht rein, obwohl ich es über längere Zeit versucht habe. Wir passen scheinbar einfach nicht zusammen. Also lasse ich ihn ziehen. Vielleicht treffen wir uns ja später wieder und dann könnte es ja klappen zwischen uns? Wer weiss, was die Zukunft bringen mag.

Aber momentan lese ich lieber etwas Anderes...