Summary Of Laurence Sternes Tristram Shandy - 1037 Words

Introduction This research task touches on the way males are represented in Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. The following articles/books/chapters in books look in depth at how Sterne satirises the patriarchy through his depiction of the Shandy men. I will be looking directly at how Sterne portrays the Shandy men — namely Tristram, his uncle Toby and his father Walter — and how they represent different aspects of the patriarchy. Homunculus Economicus : Laurence Sternes Labour Theory of Literary Value — University of Toronto Press — Scott R. MacKenzie This scholarly essay aims to argue that the popularity of Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy can be attributed to its â€Å"experimental and satirical stab† at capitalising off of a writer’s†¦show more content†¦Gulliver Effects — Oxford Handbooks Online — Clement Hawes The book reviews the effect Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels had on the novel’s emergence.I looked specifically at the chapter â€Å"Nobody Here But Us Geldings† which is the only chapter that focuses on Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. It discusses how the novel â€Å"highlights the relevance of male impotence† (Hawes, 2014). Hawes references how Tristram suffers from â€Å"an accidental penectomy† and how it represents the end of the Shandy family line as his brother, Bobby, had died in war. Sterne satirises the patriarchy in a sense that Tristram’s unfortunate accident is proof of the Shandy men’s â€Å"pattern of sexual doom†. Hawes talks about how this pattern is a â€Å"governing metaphor† for how the narrator is unable to â€Å"master his story†. He claims that Sterne’s portrayal of the Shandy men is satirical in nature as Sterne exploits what Hawes calls â€Å"the tragic-comic gap† between the penis and it’s role in culture as a â€Å"symbol of patriarchal authority†. Hawes pays careful attention to the sexual disabilities of the Shandy men. For example, he looks at how, in the beginning of Tristram Shandy, Walter does coitus interruptus which is perceived as unlucky. In addition, he looks at how uncle Toby suffers from a traumatising wound to his groin. As such, Hawes argues that the Shandy men can be considered as inadequate as males due to their sexual disabilities. In summary, Hawes looks at howShow MoreRelatedEssay on Sexuality/Textuality in Tristram Shandy8792 Words   |  36 PagesRice University Sexuality/Textuality in Tristram Shandy Author(s): Dennis W. Allen Reviewed work(s): Source: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 25, No. 3, Restoration and Eighteenth Century (Summer, 1985), pp. 651-670 Published by: Rice University Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/450501 . Accessed: 16/12/2012 06:30 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms