Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship Volume 1

The novel is in eight books. The eponymous hero undergoes a journey of self-realization. The story centers upon Wilhelm's attempt to escape what he views as the empty life of a bourgeois businessman. After a failed romance with the theater, Wilhelm commits himself to the mysterious Tower Society.

The edition being read is divided into two volumes. This is Volume 1. - Summary by Wikipedia (9 hr 12 min)