The Charm of Sterne by Edmund Gosse
The book explores the life and works of Laurence Sterne, an 18th-century Anglo-Irish novelist and cleric. It delves into his literary style, which blended humor, satire, and sentimentality, and examines how his writings reflected his personality and experiences. The author analyzes Sterne's most famous novel, Tristram Shandy, and discusses its innovative narrative structure, use of digressions, and exploration of themes such as identity, morality, and the human condition.
By Edmund Gosse · First published 1894 · Genre: Biography, Literary Criticism, Historical · 2,941 words
First lines
It is exactly two hundred years to-night since there was born, at Clonmel, in Ireland, a son to a subaltern in an English regiment just home from the Low Countries. "My birthday," Laurence Sterne tells us, "was ominous to my poor father, who was, the day after our arrival, with many other brave officers, broke and sent adrift into the wide world with a wife and two children. " The life of the new baby was one of perpetual hurry and scurry; his mother, who had been an old campaigner, daughter of what her son calls "a noted suttler" called Nuttle, had been the widow of a soldier before she married Roger Sterne. In the extraordinary fashion of the army of those days, the regiment was hurried from place to place -- as was that of the father of the infant Borrow a century later -- and with it hastened the unhappy Mrs. Sterne, for ever bearing and for ever losing children, "most rueful journeys," marked by a long succession of little tombstones left behind.
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The Charm of Sterne is listed on Textopian as an essay by Edmund Gosse, dated 1894 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: Edmund Gosse
- Date: 1894 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Biography, Literary Criticism, Historical
- Length: 2,941 words
- Structure: 1 section, 24 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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Genres
- Biography — The work provides a detailed account of the life of Laurence Sterne, including his personal experiences, career, and literary contributions.
- Literary Criticism — The work critically analyzes Sterne's writing style, themes, and influence on English literature.
- Historical — The work provides historical context for Sterne's life and works, including the social and literary norms of his time.
Tags
Literary Criticism · Biography · 18th Century Literature · English Literature · Laurence Sterne · Satire · Humor · Tristram Shandy · A Sentimental Journey · Essay · Non-Fiction · Classic