Bartleby the Scrivener, A Story of Wall Street.


Read by Bob Tassinari

(4.5 stars; 168 reviews)

"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is a short story by Herman Melville. The story first appeared, anonymously, in Putnam's Magazine in two parts. The first part appeared in November 1853, with the conclusion published in December 1853. It was reprinted in Melville's The Piazza Tales in 1856 with minor textual alterations. The work is said to have been inspired, in part, by Melville's reading of Emerson, and some have pointed to specific parallels to Emerson's essay, "The Transcendentalist." The story has been adapted twice: once in 1970, starring Paul Scofield, and again in 2001, starring Crispin Glover.
(1 hr 30 min)

Chapters

Chapter 1 22:37 Read by Bob Tassinari
Chapter 2 18:16 Read by Bob Tassinari
Chapter 3 24:36 Read by Bob Tassinari
Chapter 4 24:36 Read by Bob Tassinari

Reviews


(5 stars)

Read it in high school in the seventies. Back then, could not have appreciated Mellville's facility with language. Further, it was well-read here, with even some tricky words being pronounced correctly. A good, discussion-provoking tale. (E.g. is Bartleby pitiable or manipulative? One can adduce textual support for both views.)

This was very well read. The reader was clear-voiced and had a calm tone that fit the voice of the story's narrator IMO.


(5 stars)

Character


(2.5 stars)

Delving into the character of one eccentric man

Intriguing...sort of


(2 stars)

This story was very interesting, but the end left me thinking, "WHY? Why did I just read this???" (it was a school assignment, that's why!!!!) I was hooked onto the story for most of the book, but at the end I felt it had been a waste of my time.


(5 stars)

An odd tale of Wall Street from the author of south seas tales like Moby Dick and Types. Like a modern day Cowan Brothers film it leaves you wondering. The kind reader has a somewhat flat affect but it is a good match for such a story. Many thanks!

By the title is thought this would be dull, it was anything but!


(5 stars)

Excruciating


(3 stars)

I missed the point of this whole endeavor


(5 stars)

very good short story and social concept