“Bartleby” is an enigmatic story, a story unto itself just like its protagonist. But a lot of critics seen Bartleby as a political story as well–a story about labor, about freedom and about selfhood. Here’s a video of the Slovenian critic Slavoj Zizek talking about the political potential of Bartleby’s famous line, “I would prefer not to”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuTkuy9D5lY
For this assignment, l’d like you take Zizek’s thinking seriously in considering both what Bartleby means to you, and what it’s trying to do as a story in the world.
Here’s the breakdown of how your three paragraph essay should address Bartleby and the Zizek clip:
What is your reaction to Zizek’s discussion of Bartleby? Does any of it resonate with your own reading of Bartleby? If so, what? If it doesn’t. what about it doesn’t make sense, or doesn’t follow from your reading of the story?
If Bartleby’s statement that “I would prefer not to” is really supposed to be the basis of a political vision, what kind of political vision is it? Why does Zizek insist on the specific kind of formulation “I would prefer not to”? What makes it different than if Bartleby just said “no” or “I don’t wanna”?
Outside of “Bartleby” what other memorable character or characters can you think of in literature/stories/songs/movies/tv shows who make a big deal out of refusing or saying “no” in some way. What does this character or characters have in common with Bartleby? Is there anything that makes them different? If so, what is it?
Requirements: 3 paragraphs, 500 words, MLA style,
Quote at least once directly from the Zizek video clip and at least twice from “Bartleby.”
