Bartleby, the Scrivener

Bartleby, the Scrivener is a novella by Herman Melville, first published in Putnam's Magazine in 1853, and later included in The Piazza Tales collection, published by Dix & Edwards in 1856, which also featured Benito Cereno and The Encantadas. The story is a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, delving into themes of alienation, social isolation, and the dehumanizing effects of capitalism, reminiscent of the works of Karl Marx and Charles Dickens. The narrative is set in the Wall Street area of New York City, where the protagonist, a lawyer, employs a scrivener named Bartleby, who was likely influenced by the Transcendentalist movement and the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The story has been compared to the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Franz Kafka, and has been praised by literary critics such as Harold Bloom and Lionel Trilling.

● Introduction

The story of Bartleby, the Scrivener begins with the introduction of the narrator, a lawyer who employs a scrivener named Bartleby to assist him with his legal documents, similar to the clerks in the Inns of Court in London. The narrator is a member of the New York City Bar Association and has a chambers in the Wall Street area, near the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The story is a commentary on the social conditions of the time, including the poverty and inequality that existed in New York City during the mid-19th century, as described by Jacob Riis in his book How the Other Half Lives. The narrator is also a graduate of Harvard University and has a degree in law from Columbia University, and is familiar with the works of William Blackstone and Jeremy Bentham.

● Plot

The plot of the story revolves around the narrator's interactions with Bartleby, who is a mysterious and enigmatic figure, similar to the characters in the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Bartleby is hired to assist the narrator with his legal documents, but he soon becomes a source of frustration and confusion for the narrator, who is also a member of the American Bar Association and has a subscription to the New York Law Journal. As the story progresses, Bartleby's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and unpredictable, causing the narrator to question his own sanity, similar to the protagonists in the works of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. The story also explores the tensions between the narrator and his other employees, including Nippers and Ginger Nut, who are also characters in the story, and are similar to the characters in the works of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.

● Characters

The characters in the story are complex and multidimensional, with each one representing a different aspect of the human condition, similar to the characters in the works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. The narrator is a symbol of conformity and tradition, while Bartleby represents nonconformity and rebellion, similar to the characters in the works of Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. Nippers and Ginger Nut are symbols of youth and energy, while the narrator's clients represent the corrupting influence of power and wealth, similar to the characters in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Theodore Dreiser. The story also features a number of minor characters, including the landlord and the police officer, who are similar to the characters in the works of Mark Twain and Stephen Crane.

● Themes

The themes of the story are universal and timeless, exploring fundamental questions about the human condition, similar to the works of Plato and Aristotle. The story examines the tensions between individuality and conformity, as well as the corrupting influence of power and wealth, similar to the works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The story also explores the theme of alienation, as Bartleby becomes increasingly isolated and disconnected from the world around him, similar to the characters in the works of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck. The story has been compared to the works of T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, and has been praised by literary critics such as Terry Eagleton and Fredric Jameson.

● Publication_history

The story was first published in Putnam's Magazine in 1853, and later included in The Piazza Tales collection, published by Dix & Edwards in 1856, which also featured Benito Cereno and The Encantadas. The story has since been reprinted numerous times, and has been translated into many languages, including French, German, and Spanish, by translators such as Charles Baudelaire and Thomas Mann. The story has also been adapted into a number of film and stage productions, including a film adaptation directed by King Vidor and a stage adaptation directed by Orson Welles.

● Analysis

The story has been subject to a wide range of interpretations and analyses, with scholars and critics offering different perspectives on its meaning and significance, similar to the analyses of the works of James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. Some have seen the story as a commentary on the social conditions of the time, while others have interpreted it as a psychological study of the human mind, similar to the works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. The story has also been seen as a reflection of Melville's own experiences and obsessions, including his fascination with the sea and his critique of capitalism, similar to the works of Thorstein Veblen and John Kenneth Galbraith.

● Adaptations

The story has been adapted into a number of film and stage productions, including a film adaptation directed by King Vidor and a stage adaptation directed by Orson Welles. The story has also been influenced by a number of other works, including the films of Stanley Kubrick and the plays of Samuel Beckett, and has been praised by film critics such as Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert. The story continues to be a source of inspiration for artists and writers around the world, and remains one of the most enduring and influential works of American literature, similar to the works of Edith Wharton and Ernest Hemingway.

Category:American literature