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