Bartleby, The Scrivener
Bartleby, The Scrivener is a short story by Herman Melville, first published in 1853. It tells the story of a scrivener named Bartleby, who works in a Wall Street law office. Bartleby is a strange and enigmatic figure, whose behavior confounds his employer and the other characters in the story. The story begins with the narrator, a lawyer, introducing Bartleby as a new employee. Bartleby is a hard worker and a model employee, but he soon begins to refuse to do certain tasks. He refuses to copy documents, saying "I would prefer not to." He also refuses to leave the office, and eventually stops eating and sleeping. The lawyer and his employees try to reason with Bartleby, but he remains silent and unresponsive. Eventually, the lawyer has him removed from the office and taken to a prison. Bartleby dies in prison, and the lawyer is left to ponder the mystery of his strange behavior.
By Herman Melville · First published 1853 · Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Realism, Satire · 14,539 words
First lines
I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener of the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done.
What this Textopian page supports
Bartleby, The Scrivener is listed on Textopian as a novella by Herman Melville, dated 1853 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Herman Melville
- Date: 1853 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Philosophical Fiction, Realism, Satire, Romanticism
- Length: 14,539 words
- Structure: 1 section, 281 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Bartleby, The Scrivener?
- How does this novella by Herman Melville fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Philosophical Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Philosophical Fiction — The novel explores philosophical themes such as free will, alienation, and existentialism through the story of Bartleby, a scrivener who refuses to work.
- Realism — The novel is written in a realistic style, with a focus on the mundane details of everyday life.
- Satire — The novel is a satire of the legal system and the bureaucracy of the workplace.
- Romanticism — The novel contains elements of Romanticism, such as a focus on the individual and a reverence for nature.
Tags
afternoon · american literature · answer · bartleby · business · called · chambers · common · day · days · desk · door