- scrivenernounChapter 1 →
A person employed to copy legal documents and letters by hand before the age of typewriters; a professional copyist working in a law office.
- snugadjectiveChapter 1 →
Comfortably sheltered and well-organized; here describing a cozy, well-established professional situation.
- masterlyadjectiveChapter 1 →
Done with great skill and confident authority, in a way that shows complete command of one's work or position.
- prudencenounChapter 1 →
Careful, cautious good judgment that avoids unnecessary risk or conflict, especially in business or social dealings.
- unobtrusiveadjectiveChapter 1 →
Not drawing attention to oneself; quiet and inconspicuous in manner or appearance.
- TurkeynounChapter 1 →
The nickname of one of the narrator's copyist clerks, an older man whose work deteriorates notably in the afternoons.
- nippersnounChapter 1 →
The nickname of another copyist clerk, a younger, irritable man whose nervous energy makes him grind his teeth and fidget at his desk.
- ground-glass folding-doorsnounChapter 1 →
Interior partitions made of frosted or etched glass set in hinged panels, used to divide office space while still allowing some light to pass through.
- copyistnounChapter 1 →
A clerk whose job is to make exact handwritten copies of legal documents, contracts, and correspondence.
- pallidadjectiveChapter 1 →
Unusually pale in complexion, suggesting poor health, lack of sunlight, or emotional emptiness.
- I would prefer not tophraseChapter 2 →
Bartleby's repeated, calm refusal to carry out any task asked of him; a polite but immovable expression of passive non-compliance.
- incubusnounChapter 2 →
A heavy, oppressive burden or source of distress that weighs on someone's mind; here used to describe the narrator's growing anxiety about Bartleby.
- ejaculatedverbChapter 2 →
Said something suddenly and sharply; an old-fashioned word for exclaiming something in surprise or strong emotion.
- predestinationnounChapter 2 →
The theological doctrine that all events, including a person's fate, are fixed in advance by a higher power and cannot be changed by human will.
- imprimisadverbChapter 1 →
A Latin legal term meaning 'in the first place' or 'first of all,' used to introduce the opening item in a formal list or statement.
- forlornadjectiveChapter 2 →
Pitifully sad and abandoned, with no hope of comfort or companionship; utterly alone and desolate.
- cadaverousadjectiveChapter 2 →
Looking like a corpse; extremely thin, pale, and hollow-faced in a way that suggests death or severe wasting away.
- hermitnounChapter 2 →
A person who withdraws completely from society and lives in isolation; here applied to Bartleby's reclusive refusal to leave the office.
- TombsnounChapter 3 →
The common nickname for a New York City prison, formally called the Halls of Justice, where Bartleby is eventually confined.
- grub-mannounChapter 3 →
A person who supplies food to prisoners in a jail for payment; a private food contractor working inside the prison.
- dead lettersnounChapter 3 →
Undeliverable mail that has been sent to a government office because it cannot reach its intended recipient, often containing messages that will never be read.
- waylaidverbChapter 2 →
Stopped or intercepted someone unexpectedly along their path in order to speak with or confront them.
- inscrutableadjectiveChapter 2 →
Impossible to understand or interpret; so mysterious in expression or behavior that no one can guess what is going on inside.
Bartleby, the ScrivenerShort story by Herman Melville