Bartleby The Scrivener

Bartleby The Scrivener is a novella written by Herman Melville and first published in 1853. The story is narrated by a lawyer who hires a new scrivener, Bartleby, to help him with his legal work. At first, Bartleby is a diligent worker, but he gradually becomes more and more passive, refusing to do anything other than copy legal documents. When the lawyer asks him to do other tasks, Bartleby simply replies, ""I would prefer not to.""As the story progresses, Bartleby's behavior becomes increasingly strange and he eventually stops working altogether, refusing to leave the lawyer's office even when asked to do so. The lawyer tries to reason with Bartleby and even offers him a job elsewhere, but Bartleby remains stubbornly resistant to any kind of change.The novella explores themes of isolation, alienation, and the dehumanizing effects of modern society. It also raises questions about the nature of work and the role of the individual in society. Bartleby The Scrivener is considered one of Melville's most important works and has been praised for its psychological depth and literary style.At the period just preceding the advent of Bartleby, I had two persons as copyists in my employment, and a promising lad as an office-boy. First, Turkey; second, Nippers; third, Ginger Nut. These may seem names, the like of which are not usually found in the Directory. In truth they were nicknames, mutually conferred upon each other by my three clerks, and were deemed expressive of their respective persons or characters.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.