- description
- # Introduction of Bartleby and his initial work/behavior
## Overview
This section, titled "Introduction of Bartleby and his initial work/behavior," is a segment of the chapter "Bartleby" from the text file "the_piazza_tales.txt." It details the narrator's initial arrangements for Bartleby's workspace and his early work habits.
## Context
This section is part of the chapter "Bartleby," which is itself contained within the larger collection "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)." The text was extracted from the file "[the_piazza_tales.txt](arke:01KG89J1F4D8P9BBX9AMGZ7TX7)." This section follows the initial setup of Bartleby's workspace and precedes the description of Bartleby's first refusals.
## Contents
The text describes the narrator's decision to place Bartleby in a corner of the office, near a window that offered little view but some light. A green folding screen was procured to provide Bartleby with privacy while remaining within earshot. Initially, Bartleby exhibited an extraordinary capacity for writing, copying documents with relentless industry, working day and night. However, his application was characterized by a silent, pale, and mechanical demeanor, lacking cheerful industriousness. The section also touches upon the scrivener's duty to verify copies and contrasts Bartleby's methodical approach with the potential impatience of a more spirited individual, like the poet Byron.
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- Introduction of Bartleby and his initial work/behavior
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- premises into two parts, one of which was occupied by my scriveners,
the other by myself. According to my humor, I threw open these doors,
or closed them. I resolved to assign Bartleby a corner by the
folding-doors, but on my side of them, so as to have this quiet man
within easy call, in case any trifling thing was to be done. I placed
his desk close up to a small side-window in that part of the room, a
window which originally had afforded a lateral view of certain grimy
backyards and bricks, but which, owing to subsequent erections,
commanded at present no view at all, though it gave some light. Within
three feet of the panes was a wall, and the light came down from far
above, between two lofty buildings, as from a very small opening in a
dome. Still further to a satisfactory arrangement, I procured a high
green folding screen, which might entirely isolate Bartleby from my
sight, though not remove him from my voice. And thus, in a manner,
privacy and society were conjoined.
At first, Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As if long
famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my
documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night
line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light. I should have been
quite delighted with his application, had he been cheerfully
industrious. But he wrote on silently, palely, mechanically.
It is, of course, an indispensable part of a scrivener’s business to
verify the accuracy of his copy, word by word. Where there are two or
more scriveners in an office, they assist each other in this
examination, one reading from the copy, the other holding the original.
It is a very dull, wearisome, and lethargic affair. I can readily
imagine that, to some sanguine temperaments, it would be altogether
intolerable. For example, I cannot credit that the mettlesome poet,
Byron, would have contentedly sat down with Bartleby to examine a law
document of, say five hundred pages, closely written in a crimpy hand.
- title
- Introduction of Bartleby and his initial work/behavior