64 pages
English language
Published Sept. 14, 2004 by Melville House Pub..
"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by Herman Melville. The story first appeared, anonymously, in Putnam's Magazine in two parts. The first part appeared in November 1853, with the conclusion published in December 1853. It was reprinted in Melville's The Piazza Tales in 1856 with minor textual alterations. The work is said to have been inspired, in part, by Melville's reading of Emerson, and some have pointed to specific parallels to Emerson's essay, "The Transcendentalist." The story has been adapted twice: once in 1970, starring Paul Scofield, and again in 2001, starring Crispin Glover.
Also contained in:
"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by Herman Melville. The story first appeared, anonymously, in Putnam's Magazine in two parts. The first part appeared in November 1853, with the conclusion published in December 1853. It was reprinted in Melville's The Piazza Tales in 1856 with minor textual alterations. The work is said to have been inspired, in part, by Melville's reading of Emerson, and some have pointed to specific parallels to Emerson's essay, "The Transcendentalist." The story has been adapted twice: once in 1970, starring Paul Scofield, and again in 2001, starring Crispin Glover.
Also contained in:
[1]: openlibrary.org/works/OL102720W/Billy_Budd_Sailor_Other_Stories [2]: openlibrary.org/works/OL102708W/Billy_Budd_and_Other_Tales [3]: openlibrary.org/works/OL102646W/Billy_Budd_Sailor_and_Other_Stories [4]: openlibrary.org/works/OL102707W/Billy_Budd_and_other_stories [5]: openlibrary.org/works/OL102647W/Billy_Budd_Sailor_and_Selected_Tales [6]: openlibrary.org/works/OL14953715W/Selected_Writings_of_Herman_Melville
Maybe the most radical of acts is to be found in that least radical of words: I would prefer not to.
I’d tell you what I thought ...
but...
I would prefer not to.
Out of all of Melville's work, Bartleby remains to be my all-time favorite. I can't help but adore just how strange and how open this story is to interpretation. I've written multiple papers on it, fanfiction, and even have a hardback copy (with naturally huge print to justify it).
I fell in love with these characters in high school, and I urge anyone who hasn't read this to try it. It's free, it's relatively short, and it's especially relevant for American society today.
Realmente curioso. Desde luego existe un Herman Melville mas allá de Moby Dick.
Brilliantly read.
Je découvre Melville avec cette nouvelle mythique. La brève et troublante histoire de Bartleby, employé au comportement insolite, embauché par le narrateur en tant que commis aux écritures. Copiste studieux, Bartleby s’avère être un personnage désarmant. Refusant toute autre tache en dehors de la copie pure et simple, il se borne à répondre systématiquement à son patron : « Je préfèrerais ne pas », chaque fois que celui-ci lui émet la moindre requête. Le narrateur fait partager au lecteur son désarroi face à l’attitude imperturbable et entêtée de Bartleby, mais aussi sa sympathie avec ce curieux personnage, jusqu’à un dénouement étrange et inexpliqué. Insolite et captivant, mais aussi délicieusement frustrant !
