Laurence Sterne
Paperback | Pages: 134 pages Rating: 3.36 | 5142 Users | 259 Reviews
Declare Epithetical Books A Sentimental Journey
| Title | : | A Sentimental Journey |
| Author | : | Laurence Sterne |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 134 pages |
| Published | : | November 29th 2001 by Penguin Classics (first published 1768) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Travel. Literature. 18th Century |
Chronicle In Favor Of Books A Sentimental Journey
A furiously witty response to Tobias Smollett's curmudgeonly 'Travels through France and Italy', Laurence Sterne's A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy became a hugely influential work of travel writing in its own right. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction and notes by Paul Goring.When Yorick, the roving narrator of Sterne's innovative final novel, sets off for France on a whim, he produces no ordinary travelogue. Jolting along in his coach from Calais, through Paris, and on towards the Italian border, the amiable parson is blithely unconcerned by famous views or monuments, but he engages us with tales of his encounters with all manner of people, from counts and noblewomen to beggars and chambermaids. And as drama piles upon drama, anecdote, flirtation and digression, Yorick's destination takes second place to an exhilarating voyage of emotional and erotic exploration. Interweaving sharp wit with warm humour and irony with genuine feeling, A Sentimental Journey paints a captivating picture of an Englishman's adventures abroad.
In his introduction, Paul Goring discusses Sterne's literary career and his semi-autobiographical depiction of Yorick, and sets the novel within the context of eighteenth-century travel writing and the vogue of sentimental fiction. This edition also includes a chronology, updated further reading and notes.
Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) graduated from Cambridge in 1737 and took holy orders, becoming a prebend in York Cathedral. His masterpiece, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman made him a celebrity but ill-health necessitated recuperative travel and A Sentimental Journey grew out of a seven-month trip through France and Italy. He died the year it was published, 1768.
If you enjoyed A Sentimental Journey, you might like Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, also available in Penguin Classics.
Describe Books Conducive To A Sentimental Journey
| Original Title: | A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy |
| ISBN: | 0140437797 (ISBN13: 9780140437799) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books A Sentimental Journey
Ratings: 3.36 From 5142 Users | 259 ReviewsWrite-Up Epithetical Books A Sentimental Journey
Whether modern or old, the edition of a book is important. I am very fussy and perhaps even sentimental about this. For me a book is a physical object to be cherished for its sheer physicality as much as for its sentiment and sense. My first choice for A Sentimental Journey is the Oxford World's Classics edition edited by Ian Jack and Tim Parnell. I like the font and the discreet signalling of notes with a little superscripted circle.This Oxford edition contains A Sentimental Journey and OtherThis was the right book at the right time for me. A good light summer read with lots of travel fun. And the ending was just perfect. 4.5 stars.
Honestly, if I could rate this lower than a star I would.
I am not sure he did much in Italy however, while in France he was non stop on the look out for ladies - an early version 'player'. The prose was choppy and outdated, the French was above me and required looking up - but as it was only a limited amount it took nothing away from the story. The story, point of the book, was hard to determine - it was a diary of events rather anything else.
There is so much irreverent humour in this book and so much of the ridiculous that it's almost like a precursor to Monty Python. Yorick, (The sentimental traveller) sets off on his journey to France in a fit of pique, after taking offence at the offhand remark of one of his acquaintances. It only occurs to him after the fact that (a) he does not have a passport and (b) Britain and France are at war, which might render travel difficult for him. But Yorick is not cast down for long - via a method
For those curious as to Sternes other thing besides Tristram Shandy, let me make it clear: no, this is not another spearheading postmodern masterpiece. This is a vicaresque (hasee what I did there?) travelogue narrated by the curious Yorick, a man of questionable virtue. The chapters are bitesize but thin-in-content, making it pleasant to read if not altogether interestinga few semi-comic mishaps befall the narrator, and the Tobias Smollett parodies are amusing too. The novel does lean towards
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