| Author |
Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 |
| Title |
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 70.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
|
| Credits |
Steve J. Nelson and Clara T. Nelson
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| Summary |
"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville is a short story written in the late 19th century, during the period known as the American Renaissance. The tale presents a legal scrivener who exhibits an unusual form of passive resistance, famously responding to requests with the phrase "I would prefer not to." The story explores themes of isolation, the human condition, and the conflicts between individual will and societal expectations. The narrative is told from the perspective of a nameless lawyer, who describes his interactions with Bartleby, a new scrivener who initially demonstrates exceptional diligence but gradually declines to perform any tasks. As the lawyer confronts Bartleby's growing refusal to comply with standard office duties, he grapples with feelings of frustration, pity, and confusion. Bartleby's presence becomes increasingly unsettling, revealing his profound detachment from the world around him. The story culminates with Bartleby's ultimate fate in a prison setting, alluding to deeper existential questions about humanity, purpose, and the impact of societal neglect. Through the surreal interactions between the lawyer and Bartleby, Melville crafts a poignant commentary on the condition of modern life and the plight of the individual within a callous society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
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| Subject |
New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Psychological fiction
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| Subject |
Young men -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Wall Street (New York, N.Y.) -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Copyists -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
11231 |
| Release Date |
Feb 1, 2004 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jun 25, 2024 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
4744 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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