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Episode 404 – Bartleby, the Scrivener - Part 1 (Patreon)

Published:
2018-05-18 23:55:32
Edited:
2025-05-18 02:57:30
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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We’d PREFER that you listen to our show on Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville!

Comments

Sellers Burgener

Hey, guys! I am enjoying the new content and I know you would like suggestions for discussion. One thing that I think is relevant to weird fiction is the literary concept of "purple prose". In the classical world it was seen as a good thing. In the screen play world it is a bad thing. Once purple was the rarest dye of the Praetorian Guard's cloaks, made of crushed sea snails. A slew of descriptive adjectives was the literary analogue. Now it is a burden to the reader. CAS and Lovecraft clearly disagreed. When did we become so jaded?

Jason Thompson

Wow! It's so great getting an email notification whenever there's a new HP Podcraft! Y'all rule, you two!!

Richard Horsman

Whoa: over 900 patrons already, and the Academic and Professor tiers got snapped up. NOICE!

Richard Horsman

On discussion topics: any thoughts on how or if you'd cover some of the longer stuff cited in Supernatural Horror in Literature? Like, Melmoth the Wanderer is great, but it would take multiple months to get through.

H P Lovecraft's Cat

After reading this I feel that Episode 404 fits with this story.This will be known as The 404 Error of Melville,I hope there is some in joke in making this episode.

Forrest Rush

As someone who works almost exclusively with freelancers I FEEL for the narrator. I often wonder if someone takes these kind of jobs because they truly love the way "no" sounds or if "yes" hurts too much.

Adriana Barberena

Is there a way to download these? I usually download them on iTunes and listen to them at work.

Nate

OK, I had my doubts about Bartleby when I realized y'all would be covering it. We read this story about 10 years ago in high school, and though I wasn't a huge fan, it has stuck with me over the years. After listening to this podcast, I realize how much this story belongs on your show. Your commentary is making me understand why it has been so hard to shake off. Good call, MIT guy!

Erica Melchin

I've done this kind of proofreading before. It's the worst.

Daniel Onions

This is one of my favourite stories (and short stories are, themselves, my preferred form of fiction) so I'm enjoying the coverage. The story has always felt very Dickensian to me; the comedy seems Pickwickian, but there's also an air of an inescapable doom that reminds me of things like The Signal-Man. Like the signalman, Bartleby seems, in some weird way, to be already dead. Which I suppose might be one of the things that the postscript is getting at. Dead letters still have their content, they still have their character and meaning, but they'll never do what they were meant for, or anything at all. They're dead from the moment they're posted. There's something genuinely nightmarish about that.

Mara Rhymes with Sara

Hi guys, I would love to hear you cover some modern responses to Lovecraft, like "Winter Tide" by Ruthanna Emrys, "The Ballad of Black Tom" by Victor LaValle, or "Lovecraft Country" by Matt Ruff. These books are all direct responses to some of the more problematic elements of Lovecraft's work, as well as fantastic fiction in their own right. It would be great to get your take on them!

Dean Muscat

Great show guys! Can't wait for part 2. Hope you'll cover a Thomas Ligotti story one day.

Forrest Rush

I'd too love to hear their take on the "The Ballad of Black Tom" or any of the stories from Lovecraft Monsters edited by Neil Gaiman (with stories from Gaiman and numerous others, especially would love a discussion on "The Black Brat of Dunwich")) but I think they still maintain a dead authors only policy. If that ever changes I've got many more I could name. I don't think you guys need worry it would just turn into a book review. Insight is insight, great discussion is great and always appreciated. There have been so many truly great lovecraftian (in the best sense) stories I have heard on PseudoPod that maybe its not a stretch to say some really great cthullian stuff is happening these days outside of the kitsch. But if you guys are going to move into scifi as you've hinted, will it also be dead authors only? 'cause if so I really hope you tackle asimov's Foundation series. I know the short stories are easier for the format, but I think there's so much there worth discussing with a slant towards Yog Sothery.

Ben Mund

I'd also love a one-off covering some of the gaming material, specifically, the gaming "sequels" to Lovecraft stories such as "Beyond the Mountains of Madness". A little tough, I know, as it's not public domain (but I'd still love it). Keep up the great work guys!

Samuel Crider

I’m going vote for going in deep and take on Moby Dick. It’s 95% a Lovecraftian monster story.

Elisheba

Reading MD right now and I second the request.

Kendle

Why do your conversations about horror in literature so often lead to discussion of Mary Poppins? Is there some dark unspeakable message in that movie?

David Azzageddi

Loved the episode. One thing I think is the case (as a member of the editorial board of the Japan Melville Society's journal, I'm going to be embarrassed if I get this wrong), but I don't think the scriveners are paid anything beyond their per-word rate. Therefore, the work that Bartleby is objecting to is actually unpaid labor.

Michael Cunliffe

I can’t help but liken Bartleby to the protagonist in Office Space. Really looking forward to part two.

Louis Carter

All this talk of Mary Poppins prompts me to ask if you've read the Illuminatus! trilogy? Spoilers: superficial elements aside it has the same plot as the Mary Poppins film (I've not read the book). It's probably too big for the podcast (although you've been creeping into bigger books over the past year or two, so who knows?) but as it's about American culture, mythology, and magic it has some Lovecraft and other weird fiction in there.

Pam Winkler

I honest to god figured that both Turkey and Nippers were getting drunk at lunch. Turkey as the sort of drunk who gets sloppy and aggressive and Nippers as a very calm, cheerful sort of drunk. Either that or Nippers is depressed or anxious and self-medicating with the booze.

Frank Lee

I wonder if Nippers comes in hungover, and Turkey gets drunk so early he feels fine in the morning.

Jourik De Vetter

catching up on a lot of missed episodes, thanks for the shoutout :) I'm someone who needs to sometimes say no or " I would prefer not to " at work, really liking this story so far.