Abstract

Herman Melville’s short story Bartleby, the Scrivener is a true portrayal of the stifling life of people living at the bottom of the society. The novel tells the story of Bartleby, a scrivener living in the Wall Street. The novel has aroused great interests from critics who have offered a variety of readings from the perspectives of symbolism, capitalism and religion. However, little attention has been paid to the space where the main character lives. Based on French philosopher Michel Foucault’s analysis of power, this thesis will analyze the relationship between space and power and explore the mechanism of power which works on Bartleby.
Apart from the introduction and conclusion, this thesis contains three chapters. The first chapter analyzes the images of spatial enclosure under power. It reveals that the spaces where Bartleby lives — the lawyer’s office and the Wall Street have metaphorically become the panopticon enclosing Bartleby. The second chapter discusses Bartleby’s spatial and discursive resistance against the power in his cornered office. It shows Bartleby’s desire and attempt to struggle for his own space. Chapter three focuses on Bartleby’s fate after his resistance. In the process of passively resisting against the world, Bartleby gradually encloses himself and is finally abandoned by the society. Bartleby’s tragedy reveals the helplessness and desperation of people who are trapped in a net of power and unable to fight against the power over them.

Key words: Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, space, power
 
摘要

赫尔曼·麦尔维尔的短篇小说《抄写员巴特比》是对底层人民艰辛生活的真实写照。这篇小说以第一人称叙事，讲述了一个生活在华尔街的抄写员巴特比的故事。从发表以来，这篇小说就广受关注，诸多批评家从象征主义、资本主义经济和宗教等角度对该小说进行解读。然而，对于主人公生存空间的研究却不多见。本篇论文以法国哲学家米歇尔·福柯的空间和权力理论为依托，对《抄写员巴特比》进行解读，分析小说里的空间与权力关系，揭示小说中制约巴特比的权利机制。
除去引言和结论以外，本篇论文包含三个章节。第一章分析了封闭的空间屏障和权力运作的关系，指出巴特比生活的空间——律师事务所和华尔街，实际上成为了禁锢巴特比的“圆形”监狱。第二章从空间和话语角度讨论了巴特比对权力的反抗，分析了巴特比对于构建自己空间的渴望和尝试。第三章主要关注巴特比在反抗后的命运。在与这个世界的被动对抗中，巴特比逐渐封闭了自己的内心世界并被社会所抛弃，最终死在了监狱。巴特比的悲剧揭示了普通人深陷权力之网中的无助和绝望。

关键词：赫尔曼·麦尔维尔；《抄写员巴特比》；空间；权力