Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Found this book a little odd. It was about a scrivener (law paper copyists) who was especially creepy. He would just stand in the middle of the room and just do nothing and that terrified everyone. This uncanny sensation of a normal human that would do nothing. I’m interested to explore this book’s impact on the American Gothic and the deeper understanding of this text. But at the moment I’m just irked and confused.
"Eh!—He's asleep, aint he?"
"With kings and counselors," murmured I.
What a story. I really wish I could put all my confusion and mixed emotions into words. I have a suspicion it is a work of an absolute genius, yet I fear I lack the capacity to understand it.
The story takes us to mid-19th century, just at the time when American economy was growing rapidly. Bartleby starts to work as a scrivener in a lawyers office. There he isolates himself from everyone and barely ever says a word. Soon, not only does he lose interest in work, but also in keeping himself alive. Despite being jobless, he “prefers” not to leave the office and thats where all the problems, confusion and devastation occur.
“What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach.”
"With kings and counselors," murmured I.
What a story. I really wish I could put all my confusion and mixed emotions into words. I have a suspicion it is a work of an absolute genius, yet I fear I lack the capacity to understand it.
The story takes us to mid-19th century, just at the time when American economy was growing rapidly. Bartleby starts to work as a scrivener in a lawyers office. There he isolates himself from everyone and barely ever says a word. Soon, not only does he lose interest in work, but also in keeping himself alive. Despite being jobless, he “prefers” not to leave the office and thats where all the problems, confusion and devastation occur.
“What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach.”
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
A nice intro to Melville’s writing, witty and interesting
I read this solely because a character in the graphic novel Bone is presumably named after Bartleby. Moby Dick is also referenced in Bone, but I would prefer not to read a large tome about killing wales. Ah, Bartleby. What can you teach us?
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I would write a detailed review of this great old story and how deeply I relate to it as a disgruntled young person in the workforce, but I would prefer not to.
I did not expect this little book to be so good. I had no idea what this book was going to be like and never managed to get through Moby-Dick in all my years of reading (but now I guess I have to.) Melville writes with such a clear and unaltered mind, it's kind of refreshing.
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes