Melville, Herman (1819-1891) An American author who used his experiences
at sea as the basis for his writings. Melville received little literary
attention during his career, and it was not until thirty years after his
death that he began to be recognized as one of America's greatest writers.
Bartelby the Scrivener (1853)
Bartelby, the central character of this longer-than-usual short story, is
a scrivener- that is, a person employed to copy and proofread documents.
Bartelby, who is employed by a Wall Street firm, quietly refuses to do his
job and withdraws from the world. The reader follows the pitiful
consequences of his decision. The story was first published in Putman's
Monthly Magazine and later appeared in the collection called "The Piazza
Tales" (1856).
