歌德的小说《威廉·迈斯特的学习时代》脱胎于《威廉·迈斯特的戏剧使命》,并最少进行了三方面的重要改写。经过改写,小说的主题及核心理念,已经由原来对鄙陋现实的悲剧性的、激烈的美学反叛,变为在更广阔的社会舞台历练心性,进而自我完善为“完整的人”。这一过程,不仅记录了歌德本人思想的关键转变,而且代表了德国由狂飙时代向古典时代转变的思想轨迹。其中包含的批判现代社会、主张人的全面自由发展等深刻内容,后来还成为马克思主义等思潮的重要精神来源。 Goethe’s novel “William Meister’s Learning Age” was born out of the “William Meister’s Theatrical Mission,” with at least three major rewrites. After rewriting, the theme and core concept of the novel have turned from the tragic and fierce aesthetics rebellion to the vulgar reality to becoming a “complete person” in the wider social arena and then self-improvement. This process not only recorded the key changes in Goethe’s own thinking, but also represented the ideological trajectory of Germany’s transition from a hurricane era to a classical one. The criticism contained in this modern society advocates the profound and complete development of human beings and other profound contents. Later, it also became an important spiritual source of thoughts such as Marxism.