The Works of J.W. von Goethe, Vol. II (in 14 volumes)

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship The Works of J.W. von Goethe, Vol. II—Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship Vol. II, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is part of a 14-volume set originally published in 1901–1902. Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, the second novel by Goethe (1795) inspired by Shakespeare’s dramas, is the story about Wilhelm Meister, a member of a wealthy German family, who tried to escape the empty life of a bourgeois businessman by attempting a career as an actor and playwright. This novel has had a great influence on the history of the German novel. Arthur Schopenhauer called it one of the four greatest novels ever written.