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naomiflopes's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lemongrab7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
erinndarnell's review against another edition
1.0
this is so incredibly boring. i could not finish it and ended up just reading an overview so i would know how it ends.
old_odd_biscuit's review against another edition
4.0
This is normally talked about as being about civil disobedience, the individual trapped in corporate life standing up for personal freedom, but to me it seems obviously to be about depression and mental health. That's not to say the story cannot be about the ideas above, or others, but it is literally a depiction of someone in declining mental health and nobody around him knowing what to do about it.
I immediately loved the writing here, particularly the narrator's wonderful descriptions of his team of scriveners (clerks whose job is to hand copy his legal documents - this was written in 1853). Melville's wording doesn't go as flowery as Dickens's but that could be a positive if you find reading Dickens a hard adjustment.
Bartleby is his new hire, whose quiet, consistent hard work is a needed remedy for the team's personality excesses and professional shortcomings. But as time passes, he begins to refuse to do duties that are part of his job. The narrator later notices that Bartleby is actually sleeping in the office and is not eating properly, living instead on snack biscuits.
His reaction as a manager is initially normal - he fights the impulse to fire Bartleby on the spot, then begins to store up instances of disobedience in anticipation of a final straw. His putting up gradually becomes unlikely and ultimately comical but this is kept grounded by the narrator saying that if he did the expected thing and fired Bartleby, this clearly vulnerable man would only go on to be ill-used and fired endlessly from elsewhere by less compassionate employers.
From a mental health perspective, Bartleby is functioning enough at the start to look for and apply for a job. He passes the interview. He initially does well at the office. But he gradually becomes unresponsive to human interaction and ends up vacantly standing and staring at walls. When we learn at the end what his previous job was and how it might have led him into depression, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a story about mental illness.
This is a compelling and meaningful read. It has a good balance of humour versus the subject matter. The writing is a delight. It never stops fascinating me that Melville's reality in the last decades of his life was that he was a failed writer. He had money problems and worked in a customs house, never to know that one day he would be a literary star.
I immediately loved the writing here, particularly the narrator's wonderful descriptions of his team of scriveners (clerks whose job is to hand copy his legal documents - this was written in 1853). Melville's wording doesn't go as flowery as Dickens's but that could be a positive if you find reading Dickens a hard adjustment.
Bartleby is his new hire, whose quiet, consistent hard work is a needed remedy for the team's personality excesses and professional shortcomings. But as time passes, he begins to refuse to do duties that are part of his job. The narrator later notices that Bartleby is actually sleeping in the office and is not eating properly, living instead on snack biscuits.
His reaction as a manager is initially normal - he fights the impulse to fire Bartleby on the spot, then begins to store up instances of disobedience in anticipation of a final straw. His putting up gradually becomes unlikely and ultimately comical but this is kept grounded by the narrator saying that if he did the expected thing and fired Bartleby, this clearly vulnerable man would only go on to be ill-used and fired endlessly from elsewhere by less compassionate employers.
From a mental health perspective, Bartleby is functioning enough at the start to look for and apply for a job. He passes the interview. He initially does well at the office. But he gradually becomes unresponsive to human interaction and ends up vacantly standing and staring at walls. When we learn at the end what his previous job was and how it might have led him into depression, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a story about mental illness.
This is a compelling and meaningful read. It has a good balance of humour versus the subject matter. The writing is a delight. It never stops fascinating me that Melville's reality in the last decades of his life was that he was a failed writer. He had money problems and worked in a customs house, never to know that one day he would be a literary star.
zmoats's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I suppose the above questions do get substantially more difficult to answer as you encounter absurdist literature, but this one is a fun, short ride from Melville that's absolutely worth your time.
littleravenie's review against another edition
4.0
Tercih etmek ya da etmemek işte bütün mesele bu diyor Bartleby abimiz. Küçük bir kısmına şahit olduğumuz yaşamı çok da özenilesi değil ama netlik konusundaki tavrına özenmedim diyemem...
awebofstories's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
emoust's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0