Bartleby, the Scrivener

Bartleby, the Scrivener is a short story by Herman Melville. You can read it online here or here. It begins,

I am a rather elderly man. The nature of my avocations for the last thirty years has brought me into more than ordinary contact with what would seem an interesting and somewhat singular set of men, of whom as yet nothing that I know of has ever been written:—I mean the law-copyists or scriveners. I have known very many of them, professionally and privately, and if I pleased, could relate divers histories, at which good-natured gentlemen might smile, and sentimental souls might weep. But I waive the biographies of all other scriveners for a few passages in the life of Bartleby, who was a scrivener the strangest I ever saw or heard of. While of other law-copyists I might write the complete life, of Bartleby nothing of that sort can be done. I believe that no materials exist for a full and satisfactory biography of this man. It is an irreparable loss to literature. Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources, and in his case those are very small. What my own astonished eyes saw of Bartleby, that is all I know of him, except, indeed, one vague report which will appear in the sequel.

Have it read to you in a Librivox recording:

It has been adapted for film several times, including this 1969 version:

There was an adaptation in 1972 starring Paul Scofield and in 2001 there was this comedy version with Crispin Glover, Maury Chaykin, Carrie Snodgress, Dick Martin, and Joe Piscopo: