Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
Herman Melville's short story is narrated by an elderly Wall Street lawyer who prides himself on being safe and reasonable. He hires a new copyist named Bartleby, who is at first efficient and quiet. Then Bartleby begins refusing tasks with the strange, gentle formula, I would prefer not to, and slowly stops working entirely while continuing to live in the office. The lawyer's attempts to reason, bribe, and eventually move away from him form the arc of the story. Written in 1853, Bartleby has been read as a parable about capitalism, alienation, mental illness, and passive resistance, and it remains one of the most quietly haunting short works in American literature.
What you might want to know about Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A Wall Street lawyer hires a mild new clerk named Bartleby, who one day begins responding to every request with the phrase, I would prefer not to.
It is a novella length short story, typically running around fifty to seventy pages depending on the edition, and can be read in one sitting.
Bartleby's refrain, I would prefer not to, has become shorthand for passive resistance and quiet refusal, and philosophers, critics, and founders return to the story as a meditation on work and autonomy.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street was written by Herman Melville, published in 1853 by Melville House.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is 64 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street takes most readers under an hour to finish.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
