275: Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener"

The novel follows Emma Woodhouse, a beautiful, clever, and rich young woman who has lived nearly twenty-one years with very little distress. Emma decides to take up matchmaking, despite the advice of her friend Mr. Knightley. Her attempts to match her new friend Harriet Smith with various men lead to complications and ultimately test her own detachment from the world of romance. The novel explores themes of education, courtship, and social class in Georgian-Regency England, highlighting Emma's journey of self-discovery and learning from her mistakes[2][3][4].

Moby-Dick is a novel that tells the story of Captain Ahab's maniacal quest for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, the story follows the crew of the whaling ship Pequod as they embark on a journey that explores themes of obsession, man vs. nature, and the existential questions of good and evil. The novel is rich in detailed descriptions of whale hunting and life aboard a culturally diverse crew, and it has become a cornerstone of American and world literature[2][3][5].

The story, narrated by an unnamed lawyer, revolves around Bartleby, a scrivener hired to copy legal documents. Initially, Bartleby is a diligent worker, but he soon begins to refuse tasks with the repetitive phrase 'I would prefer not to'. Despite the lawyer's attempts to reason with him, Bartleby's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, leading to his eventual arrest and tragic end. The story delves into themes of alienation, the mechanical nature of work, and the societal expectations of the mid-19th century. It is often interpreted as a critique of the sterility and impersonality of the legal and business world of that era.