"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville

Zero to Well-Read

Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeff and Rebecca take up "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Herman Melville’s famously baffling tale of passive resistance, work, and opting out. They unpack why “I would prefer not to” still feels uncannily modern, how the story resists tidy interpretation, and why Bartleby remains one of the great Rorschach tests in American literature. Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content. Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Zero to Well Red is presented by ThriftBooks. Thriftbooks.com. You can find more than
0:04.9	19 million books, also movies, games, DVDs. Today on the show, we're talking about Bartleby
0:11.6	the Scrivener by Herman Melville, which is a short story, so you're not going to find a dedicated
0:16.3	addition to that. At least I don't think. I didn't see one. But the addition I would recommend
0:20.8	that you get for Bartleby is a compendium. It's actually Billy Bud and other addition to that. At least I don't think. I didn't see one. But the addition I would recommend that
0:21.5	you get for Bartleby is a compendium. It's actually Billy Budd and other stories by Herman Melville.
0:26.8	That's Billy Budd, Bartleby, the Piazza, the Bell Tower, and the great Benito Serino and a couple
0:32.4	others, all under one package has a wonderful introduction, really good authoritative texts. It's a
0:39.2	1986 edition from Penguin Classics. And right now, let's see, there are three copies available,
0:47.1	four copies available on Thrift Books for less than $5. Go, that's the one to get. You can find
0:53.9	some others, but this is the best one.
0:55.9	Think to ThriftBooks.com for sponsoring this season of Zero to Well Red.
1:00.3	Hi, just leaving work now.
1:01.8	Sorry, it's a bit loud.
1:02.9	Basically, so I was thinking we could get Macies tonight.
1:05.3	Had a big Mac on my mind all day, and delivery fee on the app is now from 99P.
1:09.4	So you win?
1:10.6	Of course you are.
1:11.1	Love you.
1:11.7	Bye.
1:12.7	Exclusively on the McDonald's app.
1:15.6	18 plus, service fee and small order fee may apply.
	...

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