“The face of sentmental hero according to Yorick” major: English philology Adviser: Doctor of Philology, associated professor Lasha Chakhvad Tbilisi 2017

Lawrence Sterne was English novelist and humorist. His novels always shows soft and strong critics of human being. His first famous novel was “Tristram Shandy” which became very popular. Then he published “A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy”, which expressed his visions and thoughts completely. It was published in two volumes by Lawrence Sterne in 1768. It is considered a significant work of English literature because it is one of the earliest entries in the genre of travel writing, which became prominent in the 18th century. Travel writing stressed the observation and description of manners, customs, and character. Although “A Sentimental Journey” was intended to extend over four volumes, Sterne died before the entire project could be finished: there is no “Italy” section, only a section on France. The novel was written while Sterne was gravely ill, his health failing after years of affliction from tuberculosis. His novel was influenced by a journey he made to France and Naples in 1765, when he accompanied a diplomatic party that was headed towards Turin. Specific details in the novel can be traced to this trip. “A Sentimental Journey” was translated into many languages, but the translations tended to lose the comedy and emphasize the sentiments. Abroad Sterne became the “high priest of sentimentalism,” and as “A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy” similarly defies conventional expectations of what a travel book might be. An apparently random collection of scattered experiences, it mingles affecting vignettes with episodes in a heartier, comic mode, but coherence of imagination is secured by the delicate insistence with which Sterne ponders how the impulses of sentimental and erotic feeling are psychologically interdependent. He called it a “sentimental” journey because the point of travel was not to see sights or visit art collections, but to make meaningful contact with people. Yorick succeeds, but in every adventure, his ego or inappropriate desires and impulses get in the way of “sentimental commerce.” The result is a light-hearted comedy of moral sentiments it was a powerful influence on later, less-ironic sentimental writing. In Sterne’s wake it was common for works of fiction to include the declaration “A Sentimental Novel” on their title pages. Which had a profound impact upon continental letters in the second half of the 18th century. Sentimental Journey is book which should be discussed in many angles. Sterne touches many questions and matters in these book which are told by very interesting character who travels lot and observes people and their personality. If we are to read Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey, we must abandon the fixed idea about ordinary travel, which are filled with detailed descriptions of the landscapes. In Sterne’s work, however, there are unique descriptions of human feelings, compared to the other ordinary travelogues. Consequently, the whole work makes readers confused at first. Some criticist considers, that “A Sentimental Journey” is sometimes construed as an epilogue to that work, as well as a response to the travel writings of Tobias Smollett (on whom the character of Smelfungus in “A Sentimental Journey” is modeled). The character of Yorick, who appears in both of these novels, is seen as Sterne’s alter ego.

However, once we are absorbed in that story, we can easily follow Yorick’s unique thoughts. Especially his attitude towards women’s interesting. He meets many women and his attitude towards them does not change. That is, we can see there exists some principle when Yorick faces women. Therefore I will discuss Yorick’s attitude towards Lady at the Remise; the Grisset in Paris; the “fille de chambre”; Maria and Eliza. As there is not a single passage about his own profile in the story, we cannot assume what he is and what he does in his country. Yorick is sentimental traveler himself. He travels a lot and his goal is to observe people as sentimental travelers usually do. Nevertheless, Yorick seems to be single, because nobody ever told Yorick not to go abroad in the first episode. And also Yorick is really afraid of being kept in prison. Though it is a sort of general fear that everybody can be scared, Yorick seems to be even more sensible about being limited to a particular place or group of people. He tries to set free the “starling” (71-3), because he does hate the feeling of confinement. A marriage possibly can be a sort of confinement to Yorick. That is, being a free single and sentimental man, Yorick does not want to be tied to particular person. And that makes him meet so many women in such a short time and have lots of relationships with them but we have to note, that he respects them and tries not to hurt them. Then what is Yorick’s attitude towards these women? First of all, he is a little bit passive when he approaches them. Yorick is usually left with a women in some place, such as “the Remise”, “Desobligeant”. It is totally different from other’s way Sterne is at once tender-hearted and sentimental; that is to say, naturally susceptible of sympathetic emotions, and inclined at the same time to invite them for the pleasure that he feels in them, and the credit they gain him. Yorick is a man who troubles himself but little about the goal for which he is making. As I have mentioned already, he don’t describes places or regions which he travels, he hardly visits remarkable monuments, he says nothing of the beauty of places; his objects of search are sweet and affectionate emotions. He acts not by mind, but by his heart and this makes him different and deep. Everything becomes to him matter for sympathy: a caged bird, a donkey sinking under ill treatment, a poor child, an old monk. A sort of universal benevolence makes him take his share of all small sorrows, not exactly for the purpose of consolation, but to enter into them, to taste their savor, and, if I may say so, to extract the picturesque from them. Sentimentalism is perfectly compatible with a certain strain of egotism, and the sentimental traveler is at bottom much more his own master than is thought. It is for this reason that he paints so excellently, for this also that he so often exaggerates and strikes into falsetto. The history of Father Lorenzo is an example of these exaggerations. Lorenzo had given Sterne his snuffbox, and some months afterward our traveler, revisiting Calais, learns that the poor monk is dead. He “burst into tears” at the tomb. I like him better when his tenderness keeps better measure, or when he contents himself with a simple humane impulse. Sterne is a tale-teller of the first order and excellent in sentimental scenes. But he has the faults of his style: he abuses the trick of interesting the heart in trifles; he enlarges little things too much; he scarcely ever declaims, but he sometimes whimpers.

The story has very optimistic beginning. Yorick is middle age man which still has mind of young person and still is frivolous. He strives to explore new things and learn more about life. He meets different kind of persons who have different goals and visions. He sees various people from different social class and he also meets all kinds of persons As Gulliver, but difference between them is that Gulliver has finally found himself and realized what he wanted in life. It’s true, that it made him depressed and rough, but the main thing is that, he knew what was main for him in his life. But Yorick is still in uncertainty. His never-ending travel shows, that he still couldn’t reach his goal in life and strives to solve what is the point of his life. Gulliver’s journey has also an optimistic beginner, but during the journey, he finds out, that humans are the most dirtiest and dark “animals” in the words and he starts to hate the human race. He even wants to be far away from his family, because he feels guilty about propagation those “awful”, “wild” animals. He thinks, that horses are much better than humans and he adores those marvelous creatures. After journey Gulliver locks in himself and tries not to have touch and communication with people. Optimistic, joyful and positive side of his character stays in past. He has found himself too and he has found the place where he would be happy but, it lasted only very few period. So, he had to get back to his obligation but he just couldn’t because, his mentality was completely changed and he couldn’t be peaceful and loyal anymore. He was totally different person. Living as human was horrible punishment for Gulliver. At first both of them were charismatic, charming and adventure-loving’s but journey has completely changed their lives. One of them has understood what he wants in life and the other one, is still in process of finding himself. Both of them are sentimental travelers I may say, because their minds are occupied not by fascinating and amazing places, or ugly and destroyed one. For them, the object of interest is different thing- to look into people’s minds and to observe their feelings, thoughts and personality.

Therewith, Yorick can have relationship with all human class and it doesn’t bother him, because he knows, that communication is the most important thing and he also knows, that person should have contact various types of persons. He don’t differs persons with that angle and tries to be equal with them. That’s why he and his servant are close friends, but there are still some distance between them, which differs them for each other and gives the rank meaning. At this point of view, we can compare him with Robinson Crusoe. Both of them have friends which are differ from them of the social level. But in Crusoe’s case, he hadn’t got another chance. He ought to have Friday with him, because he needed him for rescuing himself. But Yorick had quite wide choice of friends depend on her social class which was not too high, but he still was respective person because of his manners and character. For him, it isn’t important to be rich for being friend. He just needs person, who will understand and love him, but not just like Friday, because he acts and behaves like slave and adores his master and Yorick isn’t such kind of person, who likes worshiping. That’s the difference between Crusoe and Yorick’s friendship and dependence towards it. Crusoe is use to adoring and he can’t forget this habit even in wild and uninhabited jungles. For him, it’s important to have friend from upper class. Because he grew up in honored peoples’ surrounding. For Yorick, friendship is something important and thin. He seems a little selfish or philanderer, but it is his affected side and inside he is quite generous and caring person.

Conclusion: in conclusion I want to say, that Yorick isn’t an ordinary traveler and person as well. He looks everything differently and deeply. He is deep-thinker as hamlet but he is the modern version of him. Both of them estimating life from another angle, as if they look it from another planet. He is very optimistic and he looks everything lightly and it makes his life easier, but therewith, he is very sensitive and heart-thinker. He has the nature of a sentimental person and Yorick is great example how the sentimental traveler should be. He is the character which clearly describes men from XIX-XX centuries. He never gives up if the thing isn’t about women but he prefers to slow down when he is in touch with women. As it was already mentioned, he observes people and their minds. He observes them deeply and tries to describe them from his point of view. Yorick is very humane and tender and this is the reason why he feels guilty when he treats to monk badly and roughly. Yorick loves his lifestyle, but he needs something more and that’s why he travels so lot. Sentimental travelers are trying to find themselves generally as Yorick does. Their travel contains to full their minds and improve their sights. They strive to find their asparation of life and try to find themselves in the process of their journey.

Used resources:

1. http://www.bartleby.com/303/1/1002.html
2. http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=6888
3. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laurence-Sterne