Concetti Chiave
- Sterne crafted the novel to continuously surprise readers, leaving them without a traditional, linear plot.
- The narrative is a series of scenes with characters like Walter Shandy and Dr. Slop, frequently interrupted by digressions.
- Tristram Shandy, the novel's supposed hero, plays a minimal role, as he is born only in book IV and remains an infant.
- The novel emphasizes eccentric characters, each trapped in their unique world of obsessions or "hobby-horses."
- Characters like Toby and Walter Shandy are defined by their peculiar fixations, such as military science and names.
The plot of the novel
It is almost impossible to give the plot of the novel. Sterne deliberately wrote it in such a way as to make it a continuos source of surprise for the reader. There is really no story only a sequel of scenes such as Walter Shandy (Tristam's father) talking with his brother Toby or with Dott. Slop,the country doctor. Such scenes cover several chapters due to e fact that the narrator interrupts the dialogue to digress in asides, flasback, long quotations from unknown books etc. Tristam Shandy is the "hero" of the novel, but he plays little part in the action; he is not even born until book IV and never get beyond infancy. Sterne deliberately avoids giving us a tradictional story tha follows the hero from youth to old age, describing his adventures. The bulk of the novel is taken up with odd stories and pages of comment on eccentric ideas.What stands out in the reader's mind, in fact, is the collection of eccentric characters that people it.Each of them is prisoner of his/her own fanciful world of mental associations and fixed ideas:"hobby-horses", as Sterne calls them. Each man has a hobby-horse of his own:Toby Shandy measures everything around him according to military science. Walter Shandy is obsessed with proper names and people's noses;others with religious books, breeches, and so on.
Domande da interrogazione
- How does Sterne's writing style in the novel affect the plot structure?
- What role does Tristram Shandy play in the novel?
- What are "hobby-horses" in the context of the novel, and how do they define the characters?
Sterne's writing style deliberately avoids a traditional plot structure, creating a continuous source of surprise for the reader. The novel lacks a conventional story, instead presenting a series of scenes and digressions, with the narrator frequently interrupting the dialogue with asides, flashbacks, and long quotations.
Tristram Shandy is the "hero" of the novel, but he plays a minimal role in the action. He is not born until Book IV and never progresses beyond infancy, as the novel focuses more on eccentric characters and their "hobby-horses" rather than following Tristram's life from youth to old age.
In the novel, "hobby-horses" refer to the eccentric ideas and mental associations that each character is fixated on. For example, Toby Shandy measures everything by military science, while Walter Shandy is obsessed with proper names and noses. These "hobby-horses" define the characters and contribute to the novel's unique charm.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
