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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

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Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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About this listen

Herman Melville’s tale of corporate discontent, Bartleby, the Scrivener, tells the story of a quiet, hardworking legal copyist who works in an office in the Wall Street area of New York City. The business where he works handles the official financial paperwork of wealthy men. One day, Bartleby’s employer requests he proofread one of the documents he has copied. Bartleby declines the assignment with the inscrutable “I would prefer not,” the first of what will become many refusals. The utterance of this remark sets off a confounding set of actions and behavior, making the unsettling character of Bartleby one of Melville’s most enigmatic and unforgettable creations.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Wall Street Short Stories American Literature

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Critic reviews

“Herman Melville is one of American literature’s greatest figures.” ( The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English)
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I think Melville's prose is terrific so I devoured this. I couldn't tell you what he was getting at with this story, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Intriguing, amusing, baffling.

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Fascinating account. But oddly censored is the Wall St. address. Why I wonder? Ironically the might of the pen of lawyers?

Censored edition?

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Melville’s prose is at times wonderful in the way he describes feelings, emotions and contemplative material. I might be missing the point or be on point but having completed the book it leaves me wondering about the character Bartebly and his loss of enthusiasm for work and life. Maybe one of the purposes of this story is to highlight the day-to-day monotony of modern life and the depression one can feel and it’s consequences especially a professional career that is unfulfilling or to see it as fulfilling would be a mistake.

The novel also appears to grapple with the idea of fate and predestination in a subtle way.

I think the novel’s prominence and timelessness is also in the expression of what it means to be human when dealing with others who undergo deep change and maybe even painful transition of some kind that is difficult to pin down.

This is contemplative stuff.

Bartelby the enigmatic and strange soul

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My first time hearing this story and I was delighted and unsettled in equal measure. The narration was perfectly pitched and delivered subtly and masterfully… I couldn’t recommend it more highly….

Delightful and disturbing…

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very unusual story, interesting narrative style, seemed very formal at first but actually worked well

a strange but compelling short story

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Very very odd. Made me think of the helplessness of Gregor Samsa before his time and thrust into a capitalist void.

Odd

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This is a very funny short story. The language is careful and mannered and the characters are more satirical that realistic. Stefan Rudnicki could read a convoluted civil service report and make it interesting. As ever his performance is faultless. The narrative is timeless because interpretations change. I think this is about a man who is deeply depressed and he has all but given up on life. For some it is about the uncaring nature of capitalism and the human cost of keeping the machine going and for others it's a cracking good story, However it speaks to you, it is without doubt a classic written by an incredibly talented writer and one I recommend.

CHANGES OVER TIME.

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Reminded me of Alan Bennett’s The Lady and the Van (although predates it by over 150 years!). What to do when someone lands on your doorstep and you don’t have the heart to throw them out? Rather strange tale, but well told and gives genuine insight into legal clerks working conditions in the mid 19th Century.

Quirky story

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