Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy ANALYSIS-Narrative Technique-18th Century Development of Novel Genre
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 08. 2024
- TRISTRAM SHANDY by LAURENCE STERNE | 18th century novel analysis | Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy is one of the oddest, weirdest, most wonderful novels. I analyse & close read Laurence Sterne’s narrative technique & narrative devices in the 18th century novel. The lecture also examines the development & growth of the novel genre from the 18th century into the 19th century Victorian period. Examination of Laurence Sterne's metatextual use of the reader’s imagination.
TRISTRAM SHANDY / LAURENCE STERNE / 18th CENTURY LITERATURE ANALYSIS
If you’d like to support the channel, you can here
www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_...
Follow me on Twitter: / droctaviacox
CLOSE READING CLASSIC LITERATURE
#DrOctaviaCox
#UnfamiliarReadings
#CloseReadingClassicLiterature
FOR MORE LITERARY ANALYSIS see my ‘Close Reading Classic Literature’ playlist:
• CLOSE READING CLASSIC ...
FOR READINGS see my ‘Unfamiliar Readings’ playlist: • UNFAMILIAR READINGS | ...
EXTRACT
And possibly, gentle reader, with such a temptation-so wouldst thou: For never did thy eyes behold, or thy concupiscence covet anything in this world, more concupiscible than widow Wadman
To conceive this right-call for pen and ink-here’s paper ready to your hand-Sit down Sir paint her to your own mind-as like your mistress as you can-as unlike your wife as your conscience will let you-tis all one to me-please but your own fancy in it
KEYWORDS
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy narrative devices
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
The novel
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
The novel
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
Tristram Shandy narrative devices
The novel
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy narrative devices
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
The novel
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative technique
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
Tristram Shandy narrative devices
Tristram Shandy
Laurence Sterne
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
18th century novel
Growth of novel in 18th century
Development of the novel
Novel genre
Tristram Shandy genre
Laurence Sterne lecture
Tristram Shandy lecture
Tristram Shandy narrative
Laurence Sterne close reading
Tristram Shandy close reading
Tristram Shandy narrative devices
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne Tristram Shandy
Tristram Shandy analysis
Laurence Sterne analysis
18th century novel analysis
Can you think of any other revealing examples of Sterne's narrative playfulness? Or indeed of the narrative playfulness in 18th Century novels more generally?
"Еugene Onegin" utilizes some similar techniques and clearly borrows some from TS, albeit it's a 19th century novel, so, if you want to read some more enjoyable metafiction, give it a try
Good morning, Dr Octavia Cox.
There is a famous Brazilian university professor named Sergio Paulo Rouanet who wrote a 300 page book (in Portuguese) called “Laughter and Melancholy”.
In this book he demonstrates four characteristics of what he calls the Shandean Form, which are the following: the narrator's constant and capricious presence; digressivity and fragmentation; special treatment, strongly subjective, given to time and space; and interpenetration of laughter and melancholy.
He then mentions 5 books that fit the characteristics, namely:
1. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (by Laurence Sterne)
2. Jacques the Fatalist and his Master (by Denis Diderot)
3. Voyage Around My Room (by Xavier de Maistre)
4. Travels in My Homeland (by Almeida Garrett)
5. Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas (by Machado de Assis)
To these five, a sixth must be added, in my opinion:
6. The Triumph of Death (by Augusto Abelaira, no English translation to this date).
Wait, where is the summary?
Gulliver's Travels By Jonathan Swift
I've always loved how Bram Stokers Dracula feel like found footage given the nature of the texts it's comprised of
The novel is included in my semester this year and honestly I had quite a hard time reading the book at first because of the narrative style but when I start to actually knowing the way he involved the reader into the book... I loved it...
It's such a playful novel, and it's great fun when you get into it, because Sterne - as you say - really involves the reader in the jokes about novel-writing and novel-reading. It's really not a novel to read for plot! - and once you get over expecting the plot to make any sense, then you can just enjoy the playfulness.
I finished this novel convinced that life is silly, confused, a big fuss and a disaster that doesn't really matter.
Ha! - well, I'm not sure that that's necessarily wrong! But at least we can enjoy the ride and enjoy narrative playfulness.
Heyy hii.. 😮😮😮is it so that you have read it... Could we like connect in some social media platform and please could u help me out with it.. Please please please it's a request
Have almost finished(reading) this very 'novel'. Every turning of the page brings new joys, and from your insights it seems I've probably missed 90% of what Sterne packed in. Looking forward to many re-readings.
It's almost a bag of tricks to come back and play with again and again!
@@DrOctaviaCox
Books then were expected to be read and re read weren't they?
Do leave any thoughts, comments, or questions that you have. I’d love to hear from you.
Great lecture, thank you.
My pleasure. Octavia
Thank you so much 💗
You're very welcome.
I've been meaning to read this for years.
And of course you have a video about it ☺️👍
Thank you so much x
I was looking for something in the flavor of Ulysses and this seems to fit the craving. Will pick it up! Thank you
My pleasure!
This was a great movie, too☺️. Then bought the book! -Impossible!
Ha! - it's certainly unlike other novels!
Excellent! Thank you!
I am reading the Norton Critical Edition of TRISTRAM SHANDY now, Octavia. I understand the interplay between the digressive and progressive lines, with the digressive line predominating in conveying a sense of time. The sense of the novel never seeming to go any place is quite challenging, but I wanted to ask this question: Do you think that the Oxford version is the best to have? Also, do you find it very important to look up all the words you don't understand in order to keep from confronting the text with malice and ignorance?
Yes Eligah, I agree, the sense of the narrative never 'going' anywhere is rather challenging. We expect (even want?) novels to have a coherent plot and to 'take us' somewhere. That, of course, is part of Sterne's joke - he confronts the reader with their own expectations about how narrative should be formed.
With regards to the best version - Norton Critical Editions are good, in many ways they are more helpful for students as they include contextual information and critical material.
And, yes, it's always preferable to look up words, phrases, etc that you don't understand at the time when you read them. It's nothing to be worried about. I do it too. There are many, many words, phrases, etc from the 18th century that are unclear or obscure to us now. Even words we might think that we understand have shifted in meaning. So it's always better to check, rather than be mistaken.
A good rule of thumb with reading classic texts is to expect to read everything (at least) twice - the first time just to understand what's actually going on, and only a second, third, fourth reading for analysis.
@@DrOctaviaCox I like your suggestion of multiple readings, first to get a general idea, and then again for deeper analysis. I often try to do everything in one reading, and even though I have the intention of going back to revisit books, I rarely do because there is just so much to read, and so little time. I also struggle with knowing when to look something up, or just plowing ahead with the material. So far, with Tristram Shandy, I haven't been too tripped up with vocabulary, but definitely challenged by the 18th century writing style, and obviously with some of the references. I have the Oxford Classics edition, which has very helpful notes, but I don't like to interrupt my reading to check the notes as I'm going, so, I usually finish a chapter, and then go check the notes. Anyway, from a meta-perspective, it strikes me that this bouncing back and forth between the text and the notes and looking things up is in some way analogous to the digressive nature of the text itself. Thanks for the video, which I found interesting and helpful.
I know, I know Eric - the perpetual problem of there being an infinite number of things one wants to read but feeling there is no time to read them! - I feel this too. But I generally work on the assumption that if something is worth reading, then it’s worth reading well.
Thanks fraulein Cox… I loved every inch of it; pardon the pun
Tristram Shandy seems to have an enormous influence on Samuel Beckett. Who was the first "modern" novelist to have been inspired by Sterne, please?
But we remember Uncle Toby to be an invention of Shakespearean comedy…we should remember TWELFTH NIGHT…
♡
nice
I'm considering buying "The Folio Society" limited edition of this book, would you recommend It? Also considering "Selected poems by William Wordsworth" any thoughts?
Darren, I have to confess that I find it very hard not to recommend ANY books to those who are interested in reading any classic works! The Folio Society editions are absolutely beautiful, and they use a clear, good sized font with lots of space so are pleasant to read. They don't really contain much in the way of explanatory notes, though. If you want explanatory notes (which often reveal surprising details, and I myself find invaluable in understanding many aspects of texts), then the Oxford World's Classics series is great - and the books are less expensive. I have both Oxford's 'Tristram Shandy' and 'William Wordsworth: The Major Works', and would recommend either if you want a good, introductory scholarly edition. It really depends on what you are after.
I asked a friend to name me a really challenging book to read and he suggested this, I collect beautiful books and I'm a huge fan of publishers like Folio Society and Easton Press so when I saw Folio Society's edition of this book i knew I had to have it
Your friend is right! - is it challenging, but brilliant. It's a text to take slowly, and return to repeatedly.
So if you think bad thoughts may occur while reading "Pamela" let me write something where the narrator argues you will read this the wrong way and think thoughts you ought not think.
He's really just writing words but not putting out a definite message and the first chapters are basically just time wasters in the best ways possible and at one point, I realized that I was basically just being called out by a dead dude for spacing out over him talking about the lineage of his dad for two chapters
In conclusion, there's really no way to write a biography, just have fun lmao
Thomas Jefferson thought this was hilarious
What an AWFUL word!
Is the emphasis on piss intentional do you think??