55 pages • 1 hour read
Laurence SterneA Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1768A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Sentimentality
Sterne considered sentimentality to be so important a theme that he titled his book A Sentimental Journey. It is this focus on sentimentality which, Stern and Yorick feel, separates this book from the other travelogues that existed in the 18th century. The sentimental aspect of the book is borrowed from contemporary culture, including a strong focus on emotion and fine feeling. Throughout his travels, Yorick meets new people and always stresses the importance of manners, etiquette, and portraying himself in the best possible fashion. These sentiments, with the emphasis placed on pleasantries, creates a sympathetic and knowledgeable ambiance.
While traveling, Yorick makes a concerted effort to act benevolently and philanthropically, whether he is hiring La Fleur, flirting with women, or visiting Maris. He believes that his journey “fares better with sentiments” (70), a suggestion that this approach is not just part of his personality but a determined effort to actively improve his trip. The “sentimental” nature of the journey is not only conveyed in the writing, but in the actual approach to journeying. Yorick travels in a way that he believes is the best way to do so.
In literary terms, the sentimental nature of the journey is revealed in the prose. Yorick is never shy about revealing his emotional reaction to events, sometimes even stopping the narrative in its tracks to directly address the reader and assure them of some seemingly minor point. This is an example of Yorick considering the sentiments of his audience and ensuring that they are interpreting his actions and emotions in the correct manner. When he assures the reader of his noble intentions towards a woman, for instance, he does so after spending several paragraphs portraying his attempts at seduction. There is an honesty to the prose, but one which is always qualified through a sentimental lens.
In Chapter 7, Yorick expounds on what he means by the phrase “sentimental traveler” (12), including himself in this category. His writing will be of a “different cast” (12) to any examples offered by his predecessors, and there is a clear belief that what he is doing is novel or new in some fashion. Given that Yorick is so often considered a thinly-veiled version of Lawrence Sterne, these statements can equally be applied to Sterne as well as Yorick, especially when comparisons are drawn to Smelfungus (another thinly-veiled representation, this time of the writer Tobias Smollett). Previous attempts at travel writing have failed, Sterne seems to suggest, because of their lack of sentimentality. By writing a journey from the perspective of a sentimental traveler, Sterne hopes to redefine what travel writing means.
Travel
Sterne’s book is hardly the first piece of literature about travel, though it is notable in being so specifically an attempt at crafting travel literature. The genre of travel writing, such as it existed at the time, was typically more reserved and fact-based, telling readers the exact details of a foreign destination while doing little to alleviate the audience of the more emotional, more abstract aspects of distant countries. The sentimentality outlined above is a large part of this, though the focus on travel itself is important. Rather than simply a means of moving from one place to another, the book investigates the specific act of traveling and how it affects the characters.
In Chapter 7, Sterne addresses this specifically. In one of the book’s longest chapters, he explains to the reader the various types of traveler, from the “idle travelers” to the “lying travelers” to the “vain travelers” (11). But different from all of these is the sentimental traveler, the one who notes the effect that the act of travel has upon their character. Early in the text, Yorick expects these changes. After his interaction with the monk, he states his regrets and explains to the reader that he has “only just set out upon [his] travels; and shall learn better manners as [he] get[s] along” (10). Yorick’s understanding of French etiquette does improve, and he makes sure to sign post these changes for the audience.
One of the main intentions in traveling abroad for Yorick is being able to learn about French culture and society. This objective of learning is one of the key motivating factors for his trip, as he determines to understand how the French order their society in comparison to England. What Yorick learns is not always favorable, and he is not always convinced that France is better than Britain, but his willingness to allow travel to inform him is a key aspect of his character. Yorick perceives travel differently to most: it is not just a means of covering distance, but an opportunity to evolve and grow as a person.
Perhaps the most informative quote from the text in this regard comes after Yorick spots a group of English people while in Calais. After spotting them, he does his best to avoid them, stating that “an Englishman does not travel to see Englishmen” (12). The blunt honesty of this statement reveals Yorick’s true appreciation of travel, in that he is attempting to expose himself to the new, the novel, and the interesting. He wants to understand how France is different to Britain, and meeting with English people would not help him in this regard.
That Yorick speaks French fluently–and does so often and enthusiastically–helps him to learn more about the foreign society, though he does occasionally struggle with the language. At times when Yorick finds his mode of travel difficult, he always persists in the same manner. When the count learns of his name, pockets a copy of Hamlet, and then leaves the room, Yorick admits to being puzzled. However, he does not break from his genial, open approach. He simply sits down and enjoys himself, assuming that he has failed to comprehend some aspect of French society and the answer will present itself soon. Yorick never really receives an explanation for the count’s actions, but he does not mind. Instead, he throws himself into new and interesting experiences, using his connection with the count as a portal into French high society. Even when Yorick’s approach to travel falters, he does not abandon it.
Sex
Sex is a regular theme throughout A Sentimental Journey, though it is rarely referred to in explicit terms. Instead, Yorick flirts with many women, as does La Fleur. From various servants to middle-class and upper-class women, Yorick seems to have no restrictions in who receives his amorous attention. He seems to genuinely enjoy interacting with women in such a manner, even if he has no intention of consummating the relationship. Physical touch–holding a hand or touching a sleeve–brings him great pleasure, though he also enjoys being able to imagine the emotional states of women, including Maria, and how his interaction with these women will affect their lives.
Though sex is a frequent theme in the text, it is almost always unrequited. Yorick flirts with many women, but he rarely does more than hold hands. Even La Fleur, whose charm is remarked on frequently, finds that his date with a young woman does not end well, as she takes the flowers he gave her and gives them to another person as soon as he leaves. Both characters find that their pursuit of sexual is rarely successful, though they take pleasure in the pursuit as much as the act itself.
One of the moments when the text comes closest to portraying a scene of a more sexual nature is the final chapter and–in particular–the final line. The lingering sexual innuendo of Yorick describing how he reached out and “caught hold of the Fille de Chambre’s---- ” (73) is a more charged situation than Yorick has found himself in previously, hence why the scene carries an implicit threat. Yorick’s awareness of the sexual implication (as well as the audience’s awareness) means that the ending is a cliffhanger moment; the writer is fully aware of how his words might be interpreted and is happy to insert them into the text. Much like every other relationship Yorick has, however, the scene is unrequited and interrupted.
The final scene functions alongside the accusations that come earlier in the text. After inviting a young woman into his hotel room, Yorick is accused by the manager of engaging in scandalous activity, though in reality she only mended his sock. After being accused of scandalous behavior and after being threatened with removal from the hotel, Yorick tries to explain the innocence of his actions. It makes no difference, the hotel manager insists, “in the scandal” (56). Even when there is no sex, the implication of sex is enough to be considered scandalous. Similarly, even though there is no actual sex in the novel, the implication of sex is enough for it to be considered a theme.
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