11 Matching Annotations
  1. Feb 2025
    1. fugitive visits to Manhattanville

      to avoid the unchanging, not particular, he takes a "tour" of familiar places, becomes the vagrant?

    2. a huge folio

      The size of a book with paper sheets folded only once.

    3. you

      extended dialogue with himself

    4. Poor fellow, poor fellow! thought I, he don’t mean any

      Old Adam and new commandment: the narrator, Christian, is used to referring to the "Old Testament" vs. "New Testament" view: revenge, justice, an eye for an eye vs. mercy. The argument that charity is self-interest is perfect satire (Melville's) of liberalism, which serves free markets and capitalism.

    5. still more unfortunate Colt

      Abel and Cain

    6. future leisure

      the time of business always postpones moral dilemmas

    7. Nippers’ ugly mood was on duty and Turkey’s

      Ugly feelings?

    8. pillar of salt

      punishment for disobeying a commandment (Lot's wife)

    9. view

      view (landscape painters) ironically invites aesthetic judgment.

    10. the late John Jacob Astor’s

      repeat, loves to repeat. Narrator lays stress on words for motivation and temperament (safe, method).

    11. 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.

      The frame category introduced in the first sentence is of scriveners--the speakers knowsn many--who might have complete bios (but he won't bother us with them). The narrator will focus on the one whose bio is lost.