The Man of Law's Tale: Bartleby, Augustine, and the economy of salvation

Abstract

In 1851, Herman Melville, an American writer who is often classified as part of dark romanticism, was living with his family in rural Massachusetts and working on the short stories that would appear a few years later in The Piazza Tales. He had agreed to become a contributor to Putnams Monthly magazine at five dollars a page, and in November 1853 his first short story, now universally known as "Bartleby," appeared. Reichardt discusses the man of law's tale: Bartleby, Augustine, and the economy of salvation.