Everything Bartleby says in Herman Melville’s "Bartleby" – THE POLL

'There is too much confinement about that' is the obvious zeitgeist-y pick.

went for “no more”.

Upon asking him why he did not write, he said that he had decided upon doing no more writing.

hitting close to home these days

“No, I would prefer to be doing something else.”

You and me both, mate.

Good timing btw, I read this a couple of weeks ago.

I would prefer not to.

Which one tho.

seem to remember reading this in a high school lit class around the same time as Ethan Frome

EF is miserable and punishing, Bartleby was like anti-establishment catharsis in comparison

There’s a new bookstore in the South Street Seaport which I loved going to until recently which has a picture of Herman Melville on the wall and I always think of Bartleby when I go in there.

xxpost.

I would prefer not to say.

Kept meaning to ask them to put up a picture of Jean-Pierre Melville as well.

i like this poll

pom have you read the vila-matas book ?

i prefer not to vote btw

I'm going for "What is wanted?", which, isolated from its context, is otm.

i like this poll

pom have you read the vila-matas book ?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

pom have you read the vila-matas book ?

Not yet, but I've meaning to. It's been languishing on my reading list for years now, partly because I keep clinging to the fantasy that someday I'll use it to brush up on my feeble Spanish instead of resorting to a translation, which is what's bound to happen anyway.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

'“Do you not see the reason for yourself,” he indifferently replied' = underrated imho.

that one has been worming away round my head with an odd insistence such that i feel i might be compelled to try it out at work this week. (on a video call i shd stress)

i have given up copying and pasting

how does one speak in a flute-like tone?

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgufAvkTB1s

very ephemeral airy pronunciation imo

like exhaling while enunciating but not forcing air with specific words

forgot how surprisingly funny some of this story is, especially the bit where everyone in the office can't stop saying the word "prefer."

Recently watched the 1970 British film version of "Bartleby", which I saw once when I was really young and stuck with me even though I probably didn't know who Herman Melville was at the time. It's not a great film, has that slightly down-at-heel and unassuming vibe you often get British movies in that period, but it's memorable. John McEnery's performance as Bartleby is kind of annoyingly one note and mannered if you've read the book but it works well in the film and he looks right. Paul Schofield is Paul Schofield, incapable of giving a bad performance.