Sincerity and the Ideal of the Authentic Self: Melville's Bartleby

Abstract

The figure of Bartleby has puzzled many thinkers. Interpretations vary, but the common point in many accounts is that Bartleby is beyond any conceptualization. In this paper I will ask whether he can nevertheless be understood in terms of the problem of authenticity. I will initially follow Lionel Trilling's famous argument, that is, the ethical ideal of the authentic self had replaced an earlier one he called sincerity, and that Bartleby, being an authentic figure, can be treated as an illustration of this. Then, I will take the discussion further by examining Bartleby via Giorgio Agamben's account of ethics.