Date of Award
Summer 5-8-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Brad Modlin
Committee Members
Susan Honeyman, English; Theodora Ziolkowski, English; Nathan Tye, History
Keywords
thesis, creative writing, retelling, literary, fiction, Herman Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener
Abstract/Description
Dead Letters: A Retelling of Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener” presents the classic story from Bartleby’s perspective. This novella-length work explores themes of identity as Bartleby navigates the contradictions of life in the mid-nineteenth century. Bartleby tells us about his past and how he arrives at the lawyer’s office in New York, where the two narratives meet. Those familiar with “Bartleby, the Scrivener” will recognize characters and settings in Dead Letters, including familiar motifs such as ginger cakes, keys, doors, windows, the green screen, and dead letters. It builds onto the subtle gothic elements in Melville’s story and teases out a bit of fairy-tale rhetoric. Dead Letters should be read as a conversation with Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” that not only stands on its own as a story but alsopresents a path to understand the original narrative through a creative interpretation.
Recommended Citation
Sinner, Melissa L., "Dead Letters: a Retelling of Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener"" (2026). English Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity. 25.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/eng-etd/25