Bartleby, the Scrivener

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story written by the American author Herman Melville. It was first published anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of Putnam's Magazine. This enigmatic novella is a timeless tale of isolation and defiance in the heart of New York City. Bartleby, a quiet, passive scrivener, refuses to conform to societal norms, challenging the very fabric of the rigidly structured Wall Street world. Through its profound exploration of individual agency and the complexities of human interaction, Melville's masterpiece continues to captivate readers, inviting contemplation on the nature of autonomy, compassion and the inherent contradictions of modern existence.

Herman Melville[a] (1819 - 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. Melville developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature and the visual arts.