A Book Report on Laurence Sterne's book called "A Sentimental Journey"

Essay by melikekkUniversity, Bachelor's June 2004

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The travel-book called "A Sentimental Journey" was written by Laurence Sterne; is about his own sentimental journey to France and Italy. In the eighteenth century, in England there was a great interest for travelling and for travel books. Sterne's "A Sentimental Journey" is a travel-book or it is considered to be a travel book. In fact, this book is different from the others, because it is a satire, which makes fun of the conventional travel books of the time. As it is understood from the name of the book; it deals with feelings, senses and emotion, not with the places, monuments or other concrete things. In the book the protagonist's name is Yorick and he is at the same time the narrator of the book. He is the sentimental traveller and follows his sensibility. He is so much different from the normal travellers. In a way, he wrote his travels with a different perspective, in which he puts his own style.

However, Yorick is a kind of mask for him. The main emphasis of the book is based on senses and emotions, so that the sexual attraction and feelings between men and women are very important in Sterne's book. Yorick has many relationships with women. Therefore, when we look through the story of Yorick, it tells much about women and the sexual feelings between genders, but the most important thing is that; what about the importance of women for Yorick and for Laurence Sterne? Also what is sensibility for man and for women?

In order to answer all of these questions, we should closely look at the book at the same time to the certain features of that time. In the eighteenth century, women were considered to be more fragile than men and they...