Preferring not to:The Paradox of Passive Resistance in Herman Melville’s “Bartleby”
“I would prefer not to.”“You will not?”“I prefer not.”“Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853) is a story of passive resistance. And as the narrator is forced to admit, “Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.” Refusing to kow-tow to the demands of his employer, and working to his...
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| Izdano u: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/jsse, |
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| Glavni autor: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Jezik: | Anglais |
| Izdano: |
Journal of the Short Story in English
2008
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| Online pristup: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sažetak: | “I would prefer not to.”“You will not?”“I prefer not.”“Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853) is a story of passive resistance. And as the narrator is forced to admit, “Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.” Refusing to kow-tow to the demands of his employer, and working to his own individual rule, Bartleby represents a challenge to capitalist, corporatist ideologies. He declines to do what is asked of him over and above the basic task of copying documents. He is an unost... |
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