Well that was dumb.

[synapticjava]

Just finished Bartleby the Scrivener. Boy, that was dumb. No actual conclusion, and just a guy that won't leave? Am I missing something? And dead letters? Mental note: Kick Williams on Tuesday.

Comments

[caviling]

Gasp!

YES YES OH MY GOSH YOU'RE MISSING SO MUCH BEST SHORT STORY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE HATING BARTLEBY DOES NOT COMPUTE DOES NOT COMPUTE BRAIN ESSPLODE--*pop*

I certainly hope Williams tells you guys about how and why Melville wrote this. I promise it's not dumb or pointless.

And dead letters are letters that can't get where they're supposed to go. (Wrong address or whatever.) Bartleby's job was destroying thwarted correspondence.
I totally blame Williams for this. Without context, it's a puzzling story. (Sorry; I read it the first time with Wiliams in the American novel class, and then I had it last quarter with American Lit Goddess Lucy Rinehart, and I assure you it's good.)

Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!

</english major>

Your icon makes me giggle, by the way.

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

Why am I not suprised. lol. That's probably akin to someone telling me that Freud was completely wrong and that Stroop's experiment proved nothing. *cringe*

*puts your brain back together*

I knew what dead letters are (courtesy of Beetlejuice, the cartoon), but I'm missing too much of the puzzle, I think. Maybe I didn't read it correctly?

Maybe I'll go google it or something.

[catching-tigers.livejournal.com]

imo, youre not missing anytihng to be found in the story. i thought it was the stupidest thing ever until it was explained because all i could interpret was that it was a piece denouncing the ways of modern, impersonal and capitalistic and industrial society. well great. i could do do the same thing in a lot less words. but when it was actually all ~explained~ to me, it just HIT. *BAM!* and its a story i love, now. i mean, i think its a tad long and repetitive, but the idea behind it?

i dunno. i could try to explain it the way it was explained to me, but id just blunder along like a fool. though if even after explaination, you dont like it, feel free to kick me until you feel better.

[caviling]

Tee hee. I loved Beetlejuice the cartoon.

The thing about "Bartleby" is to not try to figure out exactly what Bartleby means; anyone who says they understand his motivation is a liar.

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

Simply put - an english major, I am not.

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

Oh, and glad you like the icon. *g*