"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville

2026-01-27 · 77 min · 11 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ references Bartleby, the Scrivener book

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"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville Jeff and Rebecca take up "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Herman
→ hosted by Book Riot person

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Feed author/publisher: Book Riot
→ discusses Society & Culture concept

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Feed category: Society & Culture
→ discusses Arts concept

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Feed category: Arts
→ discusses Books concept

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Feed category: Books
→ hosted by Riot New Media Group, Inc company

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Entities found in this episode

concepts 5

mentioned Society & Culture concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Society & Culture
mentioned Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
discusses Society & Culture concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Society & Culture
discusses Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
discusses Books concept

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Feed category: Books

books 2

mentioned Bartleby, the Scrivener book

0.89

evidence rules-v5
"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville Jeff and Rebecca take up "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Herman
references Bartleby, the Scrivener book

0.75

evidence rules-v5
"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville Jeff and Rebecca take up "Bartleby, the Scrivener," Herman

persons 2

mentioned Book Riot person

0.70

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Book Riot
hosted by Book Riot person

0.55

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Book Riot

companys 2

mentioned Riot New Media Group, Inc company

0.70

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Riot New Media Group, Inc.
hosted by Riot New Media Group, Inc company

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Episode description as stored

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