The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1759

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Volumes 1-2

Volumes 3-4

Volumes 5-6

Volumes 7-8

Volume 9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Themes

Association, Digression, and the Nature of Memory

Tristram Shandy’s narrative is organized not according to chronological sequence but according to the whims of its narrator’s and characters’ minds. The characters’ idiosyncratic associations with words, sounds, objects, and ideas constantly hijack their attention and pull them—and the narrative—into digressions, most of them seemingly irrelevant to the situation at hand. When Doctor Slop makes a bridge to repair Tristram’s nose after he crushed it with his forceps, for example, the word “bridge” reminds Toby of his model battlefield, and he is immediately distracted from the very serious matter at hand—that his newborn nephew has been injured—to focus on his hobbyhorse instead. Moments such as these playfully illustrate Locke’s theory of the association of ideas, which posits that the human mind forms associations among sensory experiences and mental processes that dictate what we “know” and how we feel. Tristram Shandy’s characters often push Locke’s association of ideas to deliberately silly extremes as they are pulled by their minds’ associations into absurd behavior.

But Tristram Shandy’s digressive narrative style is not merely comedic. No matter how arbitrary or silly they may be, the characters’ associations and digressions have real effects on their lives, and by shaping his narrative around them, Sterne illustrates important facets of human experience. Walter’s obsession with noses is rooted in a deliberately silly fictional philosopher, Slawkenbergius, and seems on the surface to be a superficial concern, but both the injury itself and his father’s reaction to it shape Tristram’s life and identity. Tristram’s crushed nose is not just a disfigurement but the culmination of an ongoing feud between the doctor and the midwife, which is itself the result of an ongoing disagreement between his parents about where and how he will be born. His father’s belief that a long, prominent nose is necessary for a man’s success may be inherently absurd, but the fact that Tristram grows up knowing his father believes that the injury to his nose has impaired his chances for success in life is a key factor in his self-perception. Part of the reason he is writing his autobiography is to try to make up for the failures his father has associated with him since his birth. Thus, Tristram’s digressions into Doctor Slop’s birthing methods and Slawkenbergius’s theories about noses provide crucial information for understanding the protagonist. Tristram sketches his own character in the negative space of digressions into his family’s associations and memories. To understand Tristram, the digressions suggest, the reader must understand everything else.

Furthermore, Tristram’s narrative style mirrors the mental habits of his father and uncle. Walter constantly interrupts to provide his conversation partners with some shred of academic learning that he recalls, even when it is not relevant. Toby interjects to issue slight correctives or suggest improvements, especially to Trim, so that the story will be more pleasing to his ears. These two styles of digression become evident in Tristram’s own narrative style. He inserts footnotes and entire lectures into his work, mimicking his father. He restarts entire chapters just as Toby encourages Trim to restart a story in a slightly altered manner. In this way, Tristram shows himself to be a product of his environment. Tristram’s hobbyhorses are his memories of his family, who have shaped his mind to work in the same hyper-associative, digressive way theirs do. The tendency to go on constant digressions is the unspoken foundation of Shandeism.

As quirky as the characters of Tristram Shandy are, Sterne suggests that association and digression are the rules and not the exceptions for human cognition. Tristram reaches out to his audience and encourages them to make digressions of their own. There are black pages inserted to allow the reader a chance to mourn Yorick’s death, for example. In another instance, Tristram invites the reader to ponder the nature of a uniquely marbled page. Entire chapters and pages are skipped, and Tristram encourages the reader to insert their own meaning of why he has done so. Likewise, the description of the Widow Wadman is left entirely up to the audience by the use of blank pages. Tristram does not just treat constant digression as a family flaw or something that he cannot help. He actively encourages the audience to bring their own associations and memories to the text, inviting readers to imaginatively co-create the story.

The Interplay of Life and Literature

Tristram Shandy is a novel about writing. Tristram begins the book with the stated aim of writing an autobiography but quickly discovers that life is too complex and nuanced to reduce to the pages of a book. He has a plan to write two volumes of his book each year until he dies. As he progresses, however, he quickly becomes aware that the rate at which he writes will ensure that he is not able to finish his story before he dies. Through his writing, he is made aware of his own mortality. By Volume 7, he feels as though he is actively being pursued by the personification of death. As his health falters, he tries to outrun Death by taking a tour across France and Italy. At this moment, he takes a vacation from the narrative as he takes a vacation from England, hoping to rush ahead in his story as he rushes across Europe. Tristram’s attempt to outrun Death and outrun the linear chronology of his novel is the only point where his adult self features as a character in the story. This is the moment when Tristram is most self-aware when he is actively writing his current self into the story. For Tristram, life and the act of translating life into literature become impossibly intertwined.

For Walter, literature and life work in an inverse direction. While Tristram explores his own life through writing, Walter gives meaning to his life by reading the work of others. He reads voraciously so that he can back up every opinion with classical authorities. Walter does not just enjoy reading; he enjoys showing off his knowledge to other people. Debates on any subject give his life meaning, as they are the perfect venue for him to show off just how much he has read. He has made himself into a learned man, he wants to believe, so he feels compelled to show this to other people. Walter’s life becomes an extended performance of just how much he has read, and his responses to the people and events around him are shaped by books and authors. The fact that literature is central to both Tristram’s and his father’s lives and identities shows how much Tristram has inherited from his father as well as how much they differ.

Finally, Tristram Shandy explores the nature of the novel itself. At the time of writing, the novel was still a new form of literature. The expectations and rules that govern the definition of a novel were not as consecrated as they would come to be. Though Tristram Shandy received criticism for its formal experiments, the novel has become famous for the way it defies literary expectations. Ironically, a novel about writing a novel defies the expectations of how a novel should be written. Tristram describes his journey through the writing process, narrating how he conforms to and defies social expectations. By writing his novel, Tristram (and Sterne) can position himself in relation to the rest of the literary world and the rest of society. Through literature, he discovers his place in life.

Sympathy and Benevolence

Tristram is very forgiving; he is a benevolent narrator who is more than happy to cede space in his own autobiography to other figures in his life. His benevolence is a conscious choice and his guiding moral principle. People cannot be criticized, he believes, for acting according to their personalities. He spends so much time describing the nuanced personalities of people like Walter and Toby because he believes it is essential to understand what drives people. For these men to act in such a way that might contravene their innate personalities, Tristram believes, would be an act of narrative betrayal. Even if they act immorally or in a way that harms Tristram, they are being honest with themselves. As the narrator, Tristram indulges these irritating but honest characteristics. When his father is being quarrelsome, for example, he dismisses the negative tone of his father’s words. Tristram forgives his father’s irritability not only because he shares the same tendencies but also because this irritability is a sign of his honesty and integrity. Walter is not pretending to be someone he is not. He even forgives the tax collector who hounds him because he is acting as tax collectors should. Such irritations are a part of the broader complexity of life, and, as a result, Tristram believes that they should be indulged and forgiven. Tristram’s benevolent outlook also stems from his sense of humor and the absurd. As he frequently states, Tristram is the victim of many misfortunes. Whether he receives the wrong name or is accidentally circumcised by a falling window, he treats these instances of bad luck in a wry manner. The world is a silly place, Tristram suggests, and his own misfortune is to be tolerated as part of its pervasive absurdity. He goes into extensive detail about the context and causes of his misfortunes to absolve the people in his life of guilt. For Tristram, the intent is more important than the outcome. Though Toby and Trim taking material from the window sash for their model battlefield resulted in his accidental circumcision, for example, Tristram argues that since they never anticipated nor intended for anyone to get hurt, they should not be held responsible.

Tristram credits his benevolence to his Uncle Toby, from whom he says he inherited all his best qualities. Of all the characters in Tristram Shandy, Toby best embodies the theme of sympathy and benevolence. Toby displays deep and sincere compassion for everyone he encounters. When Walter’s sharp words hurt his feelings, Toby immediately forgives him, telling himself that his brother did not intend to offend him. He even shows sympathy for traditionally unsympathetic creatures, such as the fly that pesters him while he is eating dinner. Most people would not hesitate to kill it, but Toby catches it and releases it outside, saying, “This world is surely wide enough to hold both thee and me” (91). That scene was often cited in the 18th century as a model of true good-heartedness. From his uncle, Tristram learns the habit of always considering the experiences and feelings of others.

Tristram may be a forgiving man and a benevolent narrator, but he occasionally allows people to annoy him. In particular, he is irked by people who are more judgmental than he is. This extends to the audience, too, so much so that he feels compelled to warn the audience early in the novel that they must dismiss any ill feelings toward the characters so that everyone can have a good time. One of the only groups of people who do receive criticism from Tristram is the critics who fail to adhere to his advice. Since the novel was published serially over eight years, reactions to the early volumes were not as sympathetic and understanding as Tristram (or Sterne) would have liked. The result is that the people who are most negatively portrayed in the novel are those without the good humor or benevolence to forgive the foibles of others. Tristram is a benevolent narrator; the one thing he cannot forgive is a lack of forgiveness in others.