I'd prefer not to: Bartleby and the excesses of interpretation

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I'd prefer not to: Bartleby and the excesses of interpretation. / Beverungen, Armin; Dunne, Stephen.
In: Culture and Organisation, Vol. 13, No. 2, 01.06.2007, p. 171-183.

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

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Beverungen A, Dunne S. I'd prefer not to: Bartleby and the excesses of interpretation. Culture and Organisation. 2007 Jun 1;13(2):171-183. doi: 10.1080/14759550701299941

Bibtex

@article{597407f2fb094807a12c01f1ed36a7ff,
title = "I'd prefer not to: Bartleby and the excesses of interpretation",
abstract = "This paper engages with Herman Melville's short story Bartleby the Scrivener, as well as contemporary discussions thereof, so as to consider a peculiar concept of excess suggested to us by its main character. Our discussion focuses upon three of the most prominent contemporary Bartlebys: 'The Politicized Bartleby' of Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri; 'The Originary Bartleby' of Gilles Deleuze; and 'The Whatever Bartleby' of Giorgio Agamben. On the basis of these interpretations we derive a concept of excess as the residual surplus of any categorical interpretation, the yet to be accounted for, the not yet explained, the un-interpretable, the indeterminate, the always yet to arrive, precisely that which cannot be captured, held onto nor put in place. This particular discussion of Bartleby is connected to a more general discussion of a management and organization studies that has become increasingly reliant upon literary texts. On this topic, we pass a not altogether optimistic commentary, itself informed by the excessive demand of adequately interpreting Bartleby. ",
keywords = "Management studies, Bartleby, Excess, Literature, Fiction, Interpretation, Literature studies, Cultural studies, Digital media, Digitale Kultur , Digitale Kulturen, Netzkultur, Medienkultur, Medienkulturen, Medienwissenschaften, Neue Medien, Soziale Medien, Medientheorie, digital Culture, digital cultures, net culture, media culture, media cultures, media studies, new media, social media, media theory, Media and communication studies, Transdisciplinary studies",
author = "Armin Beverungen and Stephen Dunne",
year = "2007",
month = jun,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1080/14759550701299941",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
pages = "171--183",
journal = "Culture and Organisation",
issn = "1475-9551",
publisher = "Routledge Taylor & Francis Group",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - I'd prefer not to

T2 - Bartleby and the excesses of interpretation

AU - Beverungen, Armin

AU - Dunne, Stephen

PY - 2007/6/1

Y1 - 2007/6/1

N2 - This paper engages with Herman Melville's short story Bartleby the Scrivener, as well as contemporary discussions thereof, so as to consider a peculiar concept of excess suggested to us by its main character. Our discussion focuses upon three of the most prominent contemporary Bartlebys: 'The Politicized Bartleby' of Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri; 'The Originary Bartleby' of Gilles Deleuze; and 'The Whatever Bartleby' of Giorgio Agamben. On the basis of these interpretations we derive a concept of excess as the residual surplus of any categorical interpretation, the yet to be accounted for, the not yet explained, the un-interpretable, the indeterminate, the always yet to arrive, precisely that which cannot be captured, held onto nor put in place. This particular discussion of Bartleby is connected to a more general discussion of a management and organization studies that has become increasingly reliant upon literary texts. On this topic, we pass a not altogether optimistic commentary, itself informed by the excessive demand of adequately interpreting Bartleby.

AB - This paper engages with Herman Melville's short story Bartleby the Scrivener, as well as contemporary discussions thereof, so as to consider a peculiar concept of excess suggested to us by its main character. Our discussion focuses upon three of the most prominent contemporary Bartlebys: 'The Politicized Bartleby' of Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri; 'The Originary Bartleby' of Gilles Deleuze; and 'The Whatever Bartleby' of Giorgio Agamben. On the basis of these interpretations we derive a concept of excess as the residual surplus of any categorical interpretation, the yet to be accounted for, the not yet explained, the un-interpretable, the indeterminate, the always yet to arrive, precisely that which cannot be captured, held onto nor put in place. This particular discussion of Bartleby is connected to a more general discussion of a management and organization studies that has become increasingly reliant upon literary texts. On this topic, we pass a not altogether optimistic commentary, itself informed by the excessive demand of adequately interpreting Bartleby.

KW - Management studies

KW - Bartleby

KW - Excess

KW - Literature

KW - Fiction

KW - Interpretation

KW - Literature studies

KW - Cultural studies

KW - Digital media

KW - Digitale Kultur

KW - Digitale Kulturen

KW - Netzkultur

KW - Medienkultur

KW - Medienkulturen

KW - Medienwissenschaften

KW - Neue Medien

KW - Soziale Medien

KW - Medientheorie

KW - digital Culture

KW - digital cultures

KW - net culture

KW - media culture

KW - media cultures

KW - media studies

KW - new media

KW - social media

KW - media theory

KW - Media and communication studies

KW - Transdisciplinary studies

U2 - 10.1080/14759550701299941

DO - 10.1080/14759550701299941

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 13

SP - 171

EP - 183

JO - Culture and Organisation

JF - Culture and Organisation

SN - 1475-9551

IS - 2

ER -