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

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you didn't like it, sweetie. I really love that story. I find it very very humorous. It's interesting if you read it in the context of Emerson and Thoreau. "Bartleby" has some interesting things to say about the concept of community and whether it's necessary for human survival, among other things.

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

You know, it's not so much that I didn't like it. I guess it was just too inconclusive for me. I'm so used to novels with climax and endings, I'm not good with this stuff. Plus, it makes me feel dumb because its supposedly a classic, and I don't understand it. *le sigh*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Not dumb. Bad Brad. *does NOT spank you* ha ha

If you need to get this book to write a paper or for a test or if you just want to, I could write you a para or two on what I think it means/is important in the text. Of course, if you wanna just have done with it, I get that too! LOL :)

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

Yes. Please. I don't have to write anything on it, but I want to know what the big deal is.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I don't know what version of the text you're using so our pagination will prob be off. I'm just gonna type in some of the notes I took on it without trying to pretty it up. Anything that is too incomprehensible, ask. *g*

"B" illustrates the possiblity of isolation within a community and its dangers. Thee are mutual levels of responsibility between the individual and the community. "B" illustrates the consequences of allowing thse responsibilities to lapse.

Bartleby disengages (he prefers not to). He denies his obligation to the community. The community also denies its responsibility to Bartleby. The narrator walks away from him.

The narrator is repulsed by Bartleby, a repulsion that's a natural reaction of a community that wants to cut out a "diseased" part. And Bartleby is dangerous; his behavior begins to affect the narrator and the other scriveners he "works" with.

That's about all I can say without typing in long quotes. Hope this helps.

[chocgood84.livejournal.com]

Actually, that does help a lot. Thanks :)