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Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville

A lawyer specializing in legal documents hires Bartleby as a copyist. The lawyer is a safe, even-tempered man, and does good business. His other employees have some eccentricities; he hopes Bartleby will be a calming influence on the office. Bartleby begins his new job with impressive energy, copying huge quantities of documents and working long hours. Another long one, but reading Bartleby is time well spent.

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About the author Study Guide Excerpt: Close Reading

Video

Bartleby, the Scrivener - Summary & Analysis

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes of Herman Melville's short story Bartleby the Scrivener.

SOURCE: Course Hero (2020) posted on YouTube, Duration: 12:08 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/ZIH43gT0M8Q

The Life of Herman Melville

In this episode, Lit|Tips explores the life of one of America’s most cherished writers, Herman Melville. Follow us as we take a closer look at the man behind Moby Dick.

SOURCE: Bob Wenrich (2019), Lit Tips, posted on YouTube, Duration: 9:45 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/ezQVgLDD2uw

Click on the image above to access the video "Gothic Undercurrents"

What was haunting the American nation in the 1850s? The three writers treated in this program — Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson — use poetry and prose to explore the dark side of nineteenth-century America. [Transcript available]

SOURCE: American Passages: A Literary Survey (2003), Produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. [Duration: 56:45 mins], video available from Annenberg Learner, URL: https://www.learner.org/series/american-passages-a-literary-survey/gothic-undercurrents/