The term "sentimental journey" evokes, for many people, this: Doris Day singing the famous song of that name (in this case accompanied by a nostalgic photo montage designed to evoke powerful memories for her fans).
Lawrence Sterne's novel of that name is a different thing altogether, relying on a understanding of "sentimental" that has very little to do with our C20/C21 sense of the term. Rinse from your mind everything you think you know about the meaning of the word "sentimental," and respond to this post by explaining, with reference SOLELY to Sterne's novel, what makes his journey a "sentimental" one. Cite some text to support your claims.
Deadline: Monday after break, start of class.
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This comment could actually be under the second blog post as a question, as I'm still not sure I understand what Sterne means by sentimental, but he dissects the different types of travelers and thus tells us what being a sentimental traveler is NOT better than what it is. In the preface, Sterne begins to explain his subclass : the simple traveller. Unlike those in the army, clergy, or students, they have the least "reason" to actually see the world. "They might also save themselves and others a great deal of unnecessary trouble by saving their money at home--as their reasons for travelling are the leas complex of any other species of emigrants..." and thus he calls them simple (Sterne 9). While he can give descriptions of others, however, there are no comparisons or examples of the sentimental traveller. Therefore, if he is the first in the genre, the definition of the journey would lie in the reading of his impressions themselves and cannot be explained in his brief outline. "I am well aware, at the same time, as both my travels and observations will be altogether of a different cast from any of my forerunners; that I might have insisted upon a whole nitch entirely to myself..." (Sterne 10). The only clue I can really find by deducing his former explanations is that he is a simple traveller, and one that travels out of necessity. Since I've never associated sentimentality as being a need, it will be interesting to see how the two connect.
I agree with Julia in that I am unsure exactly what "sentimental" means to Sterne; this work is a bit less accessible than the other works we have read. That said, however, I see much in common with Sterne's work and that of Lady Montagu. It seems as if Sterne seeks to paint a portrait of the land he is visiting in a style similar to the work of the Impressionist painters-- in capturing senses and moods. Thus, I believe that the way in which Sterne captures his travels makes his journey a "sentimental" one. He also displays a desire for the reader to glean something from the information presented: "It is sufficient for my reader, if he has been a traveller himself, that with study and reflection hereupon he may be able to determine his own place and rank in the catalogue-- it will be one step towards knowing himself; as it is great odds, but he retains some tincture and resemblance, of what he imbibed or carried out, to the present hour" (10). This application to life (specifically, the inner life) seems central to Sterne's idea of the "sentimental."
Modern conceptions of the term "sentimental" seem to indicate it as something like a maudlin display of emotion. Sterne's conception, on the other hand, suggests sentiment as something stemming from personal thoughts and emotions (that is to say, from one's own sentiments). Yorick's description of his journey is not an objective account of all that he sees (he does not list the physical features of the architecture or landscapes he comes across). Rather, every description is focused around his personal reaction to a situation or object. Yorick criticizes Mundungus's account of the same journey because of its lack of "pleasurable anecdote[s]" and other things that personalize the journey (25). That is, he criticizes it for lacking sentiment. Yorick focuses his description on sentiment, beginning with his interactions with the monk and the woman he meets. This is why Yorick's journey is "sentimental" and Mundungus's is not.
I think Andrew is on the right track by noting that sentiment is "something stemming from personal thoughts and emotions," but I think it is also helpful to keep in mind the ambiguity of the term. From the Introduction, we learn that the words sentiment or sentimental could be used in Sterne's time both "ironically to refer to its libidinous opposite" and to "signify platonic, non-sexual affection"(xxvii). Thus, while it certainly refers to inner thoughts and emotions, exactly what these thoughts and emotions consist of can be a bit more confused.
On a bit of a side note, I checked the OED's definition of sentimental, and this is one of the texts they cite:
"1749 Lady Bradshaigh in Mrs. Barbauld Richardson's Corr. (1804) IV. 282 What, in your opinion, is the meaning of the word sentimental, so much in vogue among the polite.‥ Every thing clever and agreeable is comprehended in that word.‥I am frequently astonished to hear such a one is a sentimental man; we were a sentimental party; I have been taking a sentimental walk."
It seems even back then they couldn't agree on what exactly sentimental meant.
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