Laurence Sterne The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman

Published between 1759 and 1767, Tristram Shandy is one of the most extraordinary novels in the English language. Humourously and humanely satirical, but not bitterly so, its influences include the work of Cervantes, Rabelais, Montaigne, and Swift. It is often considered to be a forerunner of certain innovative novels of the 20 th century. Produced in a period when the -classical” novel was taking shape, it does not offer the narrative continuities of that emerging genre. Nor, therefore, does it attempt to seduce the reader into the fictional world of the story. On the contrary, the text of Tristram Shandy continually and playfully emphasizes the performative nature of narration and the physical reality of printing ink on paper. The basic storyline is overwhelmed by the digressions and, when retrieved, proves paltry and aimless. As it was doubtless meant to be. The whole work is what is known in English as a shaggy-dog story or, as the closing line suggests, a cock-and-bull story. Which is not to say that it must therefore be frivolous. We may well discover a particular anti-dogmatic sanity behind the apparent craziness when we explore not only the intrinsic workings of the book but also extrinsic matters such as historical contexts, cultural influences and aspects of Sterne’s personal life. But, like Tristram Shandy itself, the seminar will not attempt to impose conclusions or achieve closure. You should get hold of the Penguin Classics text which was first published in 1997 and reissued in 2003, edited by Melvin and Joan New and based on the so-called Florida Edition. Do not confuse this with earlier Penguin editions. Gasthörendenstudium BritA / AAS2 Registration – StudIP 01.09.2016 - 30.09.2016 Assessment Tasks – will be specified in class Prerequisites – completed Foundations Literature and Culture Module (for FüBA students) Size restriction – 40 Further information – peter.bennett@engsem.~ Universität Hannover WiSe 2016/17 Englisch, Ergänzungsstudiengang 3. Fach LA Gym. Dr. phil. Bennett Peter phil