Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Bartleby the Scrivener respond when asked to proofread documents?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Herman Melville
American writer Herman Melville.
In the short story Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, when the narrator asks Bartleby to proofread documents, he responds with the now-famous phrase, "I would prefer not to."1