Reviews

Bartleby lo scrivano e altri racconti by Herman Melville, Stanley Appelbaum

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cmanson16's review against another edition

4.0

This book frustrated me. It frustrated because the novella had no plot. Much like Senflied, the book was about nothing. But I think there is more upon further relflection. While reading I noticed Bartleby saying of "I would prefer not to" and his hermintage as a Romantic Ideal. It reminded me of American history at the time when writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne would leave the world and write free from distraction. Bartleby is epitome of this. He just wants to be left alone and all to himself. I think that is why people gravitate towards this book. The book maintains that Bartleby was lazy and was defiant. Readers relate to this as so many people work in offices or go to school, find their own "Bartleby." Maybe Bartleby is yourself and you just don't want to deal with life so you put off your work. I found myself actually liking this book after reading the Scarlett Letter and finding it not to my personal tatse. Melville is a great writer and creates a very realistic atompshere. This atmosphere is tense but is to far fetched from realtiy. His Sentences and syntax, though tough at many portions, are very simple to understand. This makes the novella enjoyable and this work has become my in the American literature unit so far. It is relatble, depressing but in conclusion I prefer not to say any more.

zoepevans's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

rilkeduino's review against another edition

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5.0

I would prefer not to - dieser satz öffnet einen ganz neuen möglichkeitsraum.
die tragische figur des bartleby, dessen negation in letzter konsequenz auch dem leben gilt, wirkt, bis zu dieser finalen ernsthaftigkeit, komisch im kontext ontologisch festgezurrter bürokratien und mechanismen. Melvilles sprache kleidet das absurde in eleganz, bringt wundervolle sentenzen ebenso hervor wie herrliche dialoge: "Ach, das Glück huldigt dem Licht, daher glauben wir, die Welt sei heiter; das Elend dagegen hält sich abseits verborgen, daher glauben wir, es sei nicht vorhanden."
I would prefer not to - diese wendung ist ein prinzip, das sich wunderbar auf aktuelle und rekurrierende politische und soziale diskurse beziehen lässt. Sie hilft, sich nicht jeder blödsinnigen debatte oder aufgeregten forderung stellen zu müssen.

fawna's review against another edition

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4.0

I need to sit with this momentarily, but I am struck by how, 170 years later, Bartleby is relatable. Seems not much has changed in how the gears of capitalism impact the individual, and in how society responds to mental health needs, and how those gears just keep turning.