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About This Web Page My name is Erin and I am a sophomore at East Tennessee State University. I have designed this web page for Dr. Kevin O’Donnell’s American Literature class. The basis of the web page is to critique as well as offer some scholarly and philosophical insights about the understanding of “Bartleby the Scrivener,” as well as the character of Bartleby himself. Having never read any works by Herman Melville, I was not sure what to expect when my professor had our class read Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” and I was not enthusiastic about the assignment. Upon beginning my reading I found that I had made a few miscalculations about the literary ability of Herman Melville. This story can be understood on a myriad of levels and this is what I was most receptive to. I hope this web page allows you to enjoy Melville’s writing as much as I did. However, it is important to understand that writing is only a passing thought or idea of the author, and leaving it open to the reader’s imagination at how to process what he/she has read, is the whole experience of literature. Critics have a tendency to dull the effect of a piece of literature. Biographical Information The following is a look at the life of Herman Melville according to Hershel Parker’s biography. Herman Melville was born in lower Manhattan, in 1819. His mother was Maria Gansevoort Melville, and his father was Allan Melville, an importer of French goods. Both the Gansevoort’s and the Melville’s had been financially successful prior to the Revolution. However, Allan Melville lacked the fundamental marketing skills and the new national economy after the war did not have an established marketing system. Soon the family funds were waning, and debts went unpaid. To escape creditors in 1830, the Melville’s packed all their possessions and moved to Albany where Allan’s mother lived. Herman and his father were the last two to leave Manhattan on a steamboat up the Hudson River. A terrible storm kept the steamboat detained and Allan distressed throughout the night. This night began Melville’s adventures of his early lifetime that led to story ideas for his literary works. Two decades following Herman Melville’s move to Albany, he wrote his most notable work, Moby Dick.
Approximate Word count = 1499
Approximate Pages = 6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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