Data Visualization: Chrysal

Visually Representing Chrysal

In looking up countries mentioned in Chrysal, I found that all of the numbers were surprisingly low. 

While it is true that Chrysal spends a good amount of the book in England, ‘England’ was only used 62 times total. Peru was mentioned mostly at the beginning of the book, except where Chrysal returns to Peru in volume 2. Jamaica was found only at the beginning, while most of the rest appeared later on.

One of the things that stands out especially is the fact that the heaviest saturation of country names occurs in volume 2, when the war- and politics-centric stories begin. While some names are mentioned in passing in the start of the book (i.e. when Chrysal mentions a war between Spain and England), most appear towards the end. Even England, which has the most mentions of any of the countries I looked at, is mostly mentioned in the first part of the novel when Chrysal is travelling there. I had thought that there were far more names mentioned earlier in the book, especially because of all the character-switching, but Jamaica, Peru, and England were nearly the only countries that were given more than a passing comment.

Change/Exchange

Simply from the title, we know that the story of Chrysal tracks the movement of a spirit that started as a piece of gold and moved through other forms before spending the majority of his existence as a guinea. Chrysal changes "masters" many time, in a variety of ways as is familiar to anyone who has read the book. In an attempt to track the reasons Chrysal changed masters, and as a play on the monetary value of him, it was necessary to examine the words "change" and "exchange." In context, as can be seen, overwhelmingly the word "exchange" is used primarily when Chrysal is involved in commerce of some type - generally to or from one currency to another. Although Chrysal was changed as a means of charity or respect six times, this category also includes bribes, which are referred to in the book as forms of respect. Most significantly, although Chrysal interacts with a number of characters, he is only “changed” or “exchanged” a relatively few number of times and he is never stole. This dissection calls into account how Chrysal is actually able to interact with all the characters if they are not his direct masters.

Types of Currency

Looking at the relative frequencies of the words “gold(en),” “guinea,” and “bank-note,” we can track Chrysal’s transformation from a piece of gold, to a crucifix, to a doubloon, and finally to a guinea - the form he spends the majority of his journey in. It is interesting to note that while these frequencies change, money is always a driving discussion within the novel. It is interesting to question if this is a focus of the novel due to the societal conditions of the time and England’s move to a commerce economy, or if this view is skewed due to the fact that the novel is in fact narrated by a player in this commercial economy. Even “value” is used specifically to discuss the monetary worth of an item or a person. There is a golden veil over all of the words that can be used to describe money. As can be seen by the pie chart, the word “money” is specifically used more than half of the times that anything of monetary value is discussed.

Betting and Gaming

Although Chrysal seldom changes hands through gaming and most of his exchanges are made by payment of goods and services (or something like it), gaming is a subject that is brought up quite often throughout the novel.  As the graph shows, “game” and “gaming” appear a number of times through the text.  However, “bet” is concentrated near what would fall around page 240 or close to it.  This is one of those instances in which Chrysal changes masters by way of gambling.  We could chart “dream” and find a peak at the same location – the place in which Chrysal is won by the bishop’s wife.  I did find it interesting that, at the spot in which “bet”, “bets” and “rubber” (which is a set of games) peak, game and gaming drop off slightly.  “Game” and “games”, of course, come back strong at the end.

Importance of Names vs. Titles

Chrysal, the coin as well as the novel, is clearly much more concerned with the titles of characters than the actual names.  I was forced to leave “general” off of the above chart because it threw everything else into obscurity, coming in at 266 uses in the text.  “Grace” and “king” were second and third with 130 and 94 uses, respectively.  The majority of the uses of “grace” may be attributed to the bishop’s wife.  There were, however, other characters referred as “her Grace”.  With respect to actual names, George was used more frequently than Pitt.  This is somewhat surprising, considering the novel itself was dedicated to William Pitt and the dedication used the name extensively.  In fact, the majority of uses of Pitt and George are found in the beginning of the novel in the dedication.  Part of the reason for the importance of titles over individual names is possibly an attempt to avoid detection by the people who were being ridiculed and criticized by the novel.  Johnstone would have had to be careful who he named before he began his criticisms.

Virtue, Corruption, Vice, Power, and Charity in Chrysal

In Chrysal, the words virtue, corruption (corrupt), vice, and power come into play many times throughout the novel.  I was surprised at the frequency of the word charity because I did not remember seeing that word that much in the novel as a whole until I did the word frequency. Power was another word that had a lot of frequency in the novel.  I was really surprised that the word corruption was not used in the novel yet most of the owners of Chrysal were corrupted in some way. Virtue was used very frequently in the novel and it had many connotations. One of those connotations could be the virtuous noblemen (Sir Pitt) and both George’s.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Chrysal

The seven deadly sins are Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Sloth and Gluttony.  Chrysal does a wonderful job in chronicling all of them.  Many of the other graphs and charts that we are presenting have a large amount of ups and downs – greater variations from chapter to chapter.  However, charting the usage of the sins is one of the more consistent graphs that I could come up with from this novel.  Gluttony is the only one of these sins that is not directly named but this by no means signifies its absence from the novel.  The mere size of the venerable Matron described on pages 274-275 show clear signs of Gluttony and excess.  My first guess, when considering the topic of the seven deadly sins for discussion, was that Greed would be at the top of the list followed closely by Envy.  I was surprised to see that Greed was rarely mentioned at all, instead referred to as Avarice, but was still not at the top of the sin heap at thirty-four times in the text.  I was equally surprised that Envy only showed up nine times in the text.  The winner turned out to be Pride with a total of thirty-eight appearances.

Timeline: Chrysal

Beginning in the early 18th century (1709): The “it” narrative 

The “it” narrative, also referred to as the novel of circulation, is a fiction in which the narrator or main character is an animal or an inanimate object. These types of narratives are, typically, told from the perspective of the animal or object. “It” narratives are also called novels of circulation because the object or animal that is the narrator is circulated throughout society, giving us numerous perspectives within the novel. An early example of this form was published in 1709 by Charles Gildon and was called “The Golden Spy.”

The “it” narrative is significant to our understanding of Chrysal because this gives us insight into some of the philosophical debates at the time. For example, it was an ongoing debate during the eighteenth century that objects, not our minds, are responsible for our experiences. Not only that, but that objects influence our thinking simply with their being. Individuals of that time were, also, interested in how humans differ from objects or animals. Also, Chrysal’s circulation through society gives us an important portrayal of social and cultural trends of the time. Understanding the “it” narrative helps us to see that this form of novel was an important
fad of the eighteenth century. Learning about this type of narrative is significant to our understanding of what people thought about objects and animals during this time, as well as, why they would even be interested in reading such a story.


Late 17th century through the 18th century: Rise of British consumerism 

Consumerism in 17th and 18th century Britain consisted of the decline of exchanging services for other services or goods for other goods. This type of society led to the decline of trading between individuals or small businesses and the introduction of money in exchange for products. Consumerism put an end to the feudal society in Britain and transformed it into a society concerned with monetary value. According to an article entitled “A World of Goods? The ‘Consumption Turn’ and Eighteenth-Century British History,” by Jonathan White, “The key claim made in The Birth of a Consumer Society was that eighteenth-century Britain, and England in particular, underwent a revolutionary transformation that saw the creation of a mass market in consumer goods and the emergence of modern spending patterns based on consumption for pleasure rather than need” (93).

This is event is significant to the novel Chrysal because this transformation to consumerism threatened to corrupt the virtues of individuals and Britain’s society as whole. As we see in Chrysal, individuals become so absorbed with the status and/or power they can receive from objects and/or money that they become corrupt. Consumerism was thought to be linked to the loss of one’s virtues and submission to their vices or pleasures. Before consumerism, there was a clear distinction between classes, where only the extremely rich had materialistic things. After consumerism, however, we are uncertain who were truly wealthy and social classes diminish because the majority was able to purchase material goods.

1750s Focus: The Age of Enlightenment (1650s-1780)

Classified by many as the "long 18th century" the Age of Reason seemed to come in waves, having different effects on Britain throughout each decade. In the 1750s specifically, the Enlightenment brought a great intellectual kind of reform to Britain. Through the work of many philosophers an intellects throughout the Age,all of these new ideas seemed to come together around the 1750s. Diderot’s “Encyclopédie” (1751-77) was published around this time and it was a culmination of a great deal of the "new" knowledge that had been found. The products and ideas of the Enlightenment had seen enough exposure by the 1750s that they were truly having an effect. By this time, many major cities were now creating and developing more of an intellectual infrastructure. Universities, reading societies, libraries, periodicals, museums and more were becoming more common and viewed with a greater value than they had been previously. Along with the development of intellectual infrastructure, a more liberalistic view of political theory was being debated and discussed by many, which could be traced back to the ideas of John Locke earlier in the period. 

October 25, 1760: George III Takes the Thrown

George III was a new transition for Britain, as not only was he the first English speaking King but he also brought what many believed to be political controversy to the thrown. At many times and through many different voices, George III was regarded by the people as completing his work and tasks as a King in an "unconstitutional manner". At times, the people believed he was using his royal power in ways that were not ethical. Being the first of the Hanoverian kings to be raised in Britain, “Farmer George” was very passionate about agriculture as well. Under his reign, Britain emerged as a leading European power, holding great influence. In some ways his work was viewed as a continuation of William Pitt’s work, but he approached things in a different manor; George III wasn’t one to go along with widespread ideas or prejudices.

1756: William Pitt

William Pitt became the informal leader of the British Cabinet in 1756 and led Great Britain during the Seven Years War. He is most recognized for his leadership during the Seven Years War and his complete drive to defeat France. Pitt's political career would be publicly recognized, as portrayed in Chrysal. He is one of the few moral characters in Chrysal, possibly because he was very popular with the people so making him ethical was realistic in Johnstone's view. Clearly Pitt's life and political career affected Johnstone's writing in this novel, one could even speculate that the novel works as good propaganda for Pitt's career. Learning about Pitt and his stances helps shed light on the political structure of the period as well as Johnstone's own views.

1753: Jewish Naturalisation Act

Jewish Naturalization Act would allow Jewish people to become citizens of England without taking a Christian communion.The bill was released in 1753 and repealed in 1754 due to opposition from the rest of the country. This act of repealing this shows the heated anti-semitism at the time which was on a wide scale throughout England. The act itself is not discussed in Chrysal, however there are lingering anti-semitic feelings portrayed in the novel. There is a character called Aminadab which is stated in the footnotes as being a satirical name for a Quaker or a Jew and in this case it is meant as Jewish, which is known because he is thought to be Samson Gideon, the Jewish financier who helped England's stock market. The anti-semitism expressed in many places in the novel is reminiscent of the anti-semitism that caused the repeal of the Jewish Naturalisation Act.

Contexts: Chrysal

Context 1: The Golden Spy, Charles Gildon (1709)

             The Golden Spy was one of the first it-narratives that featured coins as the object which tells the story. It was written by Charles Gildon and published in 1709.  In this novel, there were many coins from several different nations such as France, Spain and England. These coins like Chrysal, traveled and had many adventures.  I think The Golden Spy was not as successful as Chrysal because of the time period it was written. Chrysal's time was ripe for a novel such as this with the amount of gossip and political intrigue that it contained.  Also Gildon was considered a hack write so the overall quality of The Golden Spy might be questionable.

Context 2: Guinea (1681) / Guinea (1759) 

              The guinea was a gold coin introduced by King Charles II following the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Charles II had ordered to replace the previous currencies of the "usurpers" (Stride 387) he had taken the throne from. The first guineas put into circulation March of 1663. A guinea gets its name, which may only be a colloquial term and not its official title, from to the gold's origins in the Guinea region of Africa. The original value of a guinea was one pound, or twenty shillings, and as the prices of gold and silver fluctuated the gold guinea had peaked at about 150% of its original value. The most common value of the guinea was 21 shillings and stayed fixed there for nearly 100 years. An interesting feature of the guinea coins was the inclusion of the source of gold in some occasions, such as being provided by the East India Company or as spoils from the Battle of Vigo Bay. Guineas were replaced by sovereigns in 1816. Chrysal is in the form of a guinea for the majority of Chrysal, speaking of his transformation as entering a state of "sublunary influence" and "becoming the price of every name, that is respected under heaven" (Johnstone 70). As this new high-value worldly object, Chrysal is able to be passed on easily between persons of power and civilians alike to tell the story Johnstone wished. Chrysal would have been minted into the form of a guinea within George II's reign.

Context 3: The King James Bible (1611)

              The Bible that would have been used at the time that Chrysal was written was the King James Version or the Authorized Version. The English translation of the Bible for the Church of England began in 1604 and was completed in 1611. According to Thomas Schirrmacher, the King James Version replaced the Protestant Geneva Bible, which only included the New Testament, and the Bishops Bible, most commonly used by the Christian clergy. The change was initiated by Dr John Reynolds (1549-1607), President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He wanted a Bible that was widely accepted (Schirrmacher). During this time, changes were not just seen in the usage of scripture, but the Englightenment of the the 18^th century brought new views of scripture as well. Before the Enlightenment, the most influential texts were the Kings James version of the Bible, and the classics, such as Aristotle. However, the scientific discoveries of this time, and the increased emphasis on reason and the discovery of such brought scripture under scrutiny.

                Charles Johnstone, in his writing of Chrysal undoubtedly scrutinizes the culture and society of 1760 and the recent years prior to Chrysal’s publishing. Religion is one such idea he criticizes, satirizes, and characterizes. Examples of religion in Chrysal, not limited to Christianity and the King James Version of the Bible are Antisemetism as seen in the act of sacrificing Christian children and more than one corrupt minister as a character of which Chrysal is owned. Scripture is even directly quoted by characters and alluded to by Johnstone. One instance of the quoting of scripture is during the folly and arguments that occurred during the Doctor, Matron, Minister, and ballad-singer. The Doctor quotes Matthew 7:3 to the Matron, “take the beam out of thine own eye, before you find fault with the mote in your neighbor’s!” (Johnstone 280). Later in Chrysal, honest Aminadad reveals to his son his plan to sail to Africa, though her Grace is not aware. He recited a section of Leviticus 24:19-20, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”. The entirety of those verses are “Anyone who mains another shall suffer the same injury in return: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered” (Johnstone 315). The Enlightenment brought inspection of the culture and society. That is obvious in Chrysal. People of 1760 wished to explain human nature, thoughts, and ideas with science and reason. They criticized biblical standards, even publically revealed the corruption of the church. All of that is evident in Chrysal, yet the characters still quote scripture as a means to judge other character’s supposedly unmoral deeds. Johnstone discloses the idea that though the church was being highly criticized, the moral standards of the King James Version of the bible were still the moral standards everyone held each other too. It is obvious through the plot of Chrysal that the characters did hold themselves to the same moral standards; Chrysal is revealing of much corruption. However, scripture was openly quoted in the novel by characters, as well as biblical events alluded to by Johnstone. Chrysal reveals that the Enlightenment did not slay religion, but people publically analyzed and reinterpreted it’s use in society.

Context 4: The Fable of the Bees, Bernard de Mandeville (1714)

Charles Johnstone addresses the importance of vice vs. virtue throughout his novel Chrysal.  His declaration of vices as “advantageous to the community as they are prejudicial to individuals” (120) speaks to Bernard de Mandeville’s satiric representation of the 18^th Century moral philosophy of vice in The Fable of the Bees, or, Private Vices Publick Benefits. Mandeville’s political novel originally began as the poem “The Grumbling Hive” in 1705 which he developed further with additions of prose, essays and fables with the key point that private vice benefits the economic and public community (Harth 322).  The satirical tone of his commentaries was similar to Johnstone’s Chrysal as it identified the civil society’s exploitation of human weakness. However, where Chrysal was widely popular and praised upon publication, The Fable of the Bees was highly criticized partly for its claims that religions were a means for extending sovereign power over the common man.

Context 5: Painting of Kitty Fisher, Joshua Reynolds (1759) 

              This is a photo of Kitty Fisher, we meet Fisher in Chapter II as the Portress of Venus. She is an extremely famous courtesan who was essentially famous for being famous.  She had many artists paint her portraits and these portraits were sold everywhere as many different things.  This portrait was done by Joshua Reynolds.  Fisher was often a character in poems, magazines, ads and of course as we see her in Chrysal. This is just one of the many examples of real well - known people that show up throughout Chrysal. Chrysal is only in Fishers possession for a moment before he is given to Fishers mistress.  

Context 6: “A Sure Guide to Hell, in Seven Sections” by Benjamin Bourn (1751)

Benjamin Bourn’s “A Sure Guide to Hell, in Seven Sections” by Belzebub (another name for the Devil), is a comprehensive guide written for anyone who could want to learn the ways into Hell. Unlike many other publications of its time, “A Sure Guide to Hell” does not explain or preach about how to behave virtuously or how to get into Heaven; rather, it outlines different behaviors and actions that will guarantee a person’s place in Hell. Belzebub addresses readers, “And now, my child, let me lead thee by the hand thro’ the secret Paths of Malice, Envy, Treachery, and Ingratitude; likewise thro’ the more open Roads of Pride, Profaneness, Debauchery, Violence, Faction, and Rebellion” (22). Comparing the attention to vice in Johnstone’s Chrysal with “A Sure Guide to Hell”, many of Johnstone’s character’s vices fall within the “Paths” and “Roads” Belzebub knows well. Characters in Chrysal would likely and readily agree with Belzebub’s opinions about virtuous people; “let those insipids I say, confine themselves within the narrow Bounds of Sobriety, Temperance, Chastity, &c. but do thou whose restless spirit scorns to be curb’d […] enjoy thyself at Ease, without Solicitude or Fear” (24). “A Sure Guide to Hell” parallels Chrysal in its unique and unusual focus on displaying vice over virtue as a means of encouraging virtuous behavior among their readers. 

Data Visualization in Tristram Shandy

The Men of Tristram Shandy

It is important to note the frequency of the words “uncle,” “Toby,” and “father” through all nine volumes of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. After removing the articles, these words are the most frequently used within the book, showing the characters that are most important to the narrator/author.  The narrative is a collection of the accounts of how these men impacted and shaped the narrator’s life and opinions. While the narrator does include women as characters in the narrative, specifically his mother, the widow Wadman, and Suzannah, the low frequency of their use within the novel suggests that they are simply minor characters with a specific, practical purpose in shaping the narrator’s life.

Gender Identification 

The gender disparity within the novel is further examined when gender specific pronouns are singled out. Tristram Shandy is primarily a novel about the men in the narrator’s life and how their specific obsessions helped shape his personal narrative. “He,” “his,” and “man” occur significantly more than “she” and “woman.” The feminine possessive “hers” does not occur anywhere within the novel, suggesting that women simply exist within the context of men within the narrative. As readers, we are given great detail into the background of the men – why they have the particular hobby-horses they do, how they think about their world, the impact they have on those around them, and most importantly – in what capacity they have shaped Tristram’s life and opinions.

Fortune and Fate

Fortune (and fortunes) appear a combined total of thirty-three times throughout the novel, while misfortune and misfortunes appear a total of thirty-nine. Fortune is defined by the OED as “Chance, hap, or luck, regarded as a cause of events and changes in men's affairs,” and fortune is also “[o]ften (after Latin) personified as a goddess, ‘the power supposed to distribute the lots of life according to her own humour’ (Johnson).”

While Tristram does occasionally use fortune in terms of his wealth, the majority of the uses are referring either to his luck or chance, or to Fortune as a woman. One of the novel’s biggest concerns is what determines the outcome of one’s life and in many cases, Tristram attributes what happens to himself and to others to Fortune and to fate or the Fates, also personified as deities. Most of Tristram’s problems, and the problems of other people, are attributed to chance or luck, or, in other words, fortune. This suggests that Tristram believes that what most affects the outcome of one’s life is out of our hands—gods, fortune, and accidents.

Laurence Sterne Unbridled

“They ran the scent the wrong way. – The world bridled his ass at the tail. – And when the exstreams of DELICACY, and the beginnings of CONCUPISCENCE, hold their next provincial chapter together, they may decree that bawdy also” (279). – Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy

The above graph shows the frequency of usage of the words:  horse, horses, reins, bridle and bridled.  From the quote that follows it, we can see that being bridled is not necessarily referring to horses, but more to the control that the writing and publishing community (even society in general) was trying to have over Laurence Sterne.  Immediately after the use of bridled, he speaks of concupiscence and the bawdiness of the next chapter.  Sterne seems to be making a statement against being controlled in his writing.  He wished to continue to write as he wanted.  While not all of the references to horses and bridles in the text are statements to that effect, enough of them clearly are that it would be beneficial to examine all of the other such uses more closely.

Reining in the Hobby-Horse

In the graph, the full term of hobby-horse has been excluded.  Of course, hobby-horse is a term very frequently referred to by Sterne in Tristram Shandy. Since it has been established in the previous observation that bridled is used in terms of the control that Sterne is rebelling against, it would also help to speak briefly of hobby-horses and the frequent references to them.  In terms of control, the characters in the novel have a difficult time in controlling their various hobby-horses:  Uncle Toby and Trim have their war reenactments.  Walter has, it would seem, many hobby-horses that he rides.  Tristram also hops on the hobby-horse from time to time in his multiple digressions.  Laurence Sterne’s own hobby-horse of rebellious, bawdy writing is equally uncontrolled or unbridled as it flies in the face of the editors, publishers and other judges of publishable literature in Sterne’s time.  Even the general public at the time, despite rushing out to buy the volumes as soon as they were available, would judge him as bawdy and raunchy.  We all must have our hobby-horses.

Pettifogging in Tristram Shandy

I was surprised at the lack of the word pettifogging in the text despite Tristram and Yorick being tricksters. This word is only used twice throughout the entire novel.  Pettifogging is defined in the OED as “That is, or acts as, a pettifogger; of, relating to, or characteristic of pettifoggers; mean, shifty (now rare). Now usually: petty, quibbling.” Even though that word is only used in Vol. II and Vol. V, it is prevalent throughout the novel. In the the beginning of the novel, Mrs. Shandy uses trickery in the form of lying about her being pregnant to give birth in London. Yorick is known to be a trickster so I believe this word personifies Yorick. 

Tristram Shandy: A Timeline

Don Quixote:1605 & 1615
Don Quixote Part 1, was published in 1605 in Spain in Spanish. Don Quixote, part 2, was published in Spain, in Spanish, as well.
Don Quixote was, originally, published in Spanish, but Part 1 was first translated to English in 1912, with Part 2 following in the year 1920. There have been many other English translations since those dates. The original text was written by Miguel de Cervantes. The novel is about a country gentleman, who lives in Spain and devotes his time to studying medieval romance stories. Quixote becomes so consumed with the knights and their chivalry that he imagines himself as knight who sets out to regain the chivalry that has been lost in his own society.
Don Quixote is very significant throughout Tristram Shandy and to Laurence Sterne, as well, being one of his favorite books. Sterne makes many references to the novel, Don Quixote, and his horse throughout Tristram Shandy. Don Quixote’s author, Cervantes, influenced Sterne substantially in his own writing and Sterne even refers to him as ‘my beloved Cervantes’ within Tristram Shandy. Understanding Sterne’s admiration for Cervantes and love of the story of Don Quixote helps us to understand its numerous references within his own novel.

Siege of Namur:1692 & July 2- September 1, 1695
According to the explanatory notes in the back of Tristram Shandy, Namur was a citadel (castle), located at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, south-east of Brussels. Namur was taken on 2 separate occasions, once by the French in 1692 and again in 1695. The second time Namur was captured, in 1695, it was taken back from the French by the allied forces under the reign of William III in England. These captures of Namur were, both, part of the Nine Years War (1688-1697) between the French and the English, who had multiple other allied countries supporting them. When the allied forces were finally able to gain back the citadel, it was at great cost and did not offer them a decisive military advantage.
During the second siege, under William III, is when Uncle Toby suffered his groin injury. This event is important to understanding the novel because it helps us to comprehend the background behind Uncle Toby’s injury and interpret this important aspect of his character. Not only that, but this event helps us to better understand Uncle Toby’s obsession with war, which in turn, gives us a glimpse of how Sterne, as well as, society at the time of Sterne’s writing, viewed war.

Treaty of Utrecht (Peace of Utrecht):April 11, 1713
The treaties of Utrecht actually covered a period from April 1713 until September 1714, in which there were several treaties enacted between France and other European countries, such as Britain, as well as, treaties between Spain and other countries to end the War of the Spanish Succession. However, April 11, 1713 was when the treaty between France and England was signed, which is most relevant to Tristram Shandy. According to the Britannica website, under the treaty, France recognized Queen Anne as the British sovereign, gave them some territory, including the Hudson Bay and Nova Scotia, as well as, promised the demolition of Dunkirk because of its use as a base for attacks on English and Dutch shipping.
This event is significant because this treaty is what aids in putting an end to Uncle Toby’s hobby-horse. Once this war is over, Uncle Toby and Trim have no more battles to mimic in their recreation of the battlefield. Not only that, but this series of treaties help us to understand the constant state of war that was ensuing around the English at the time. The understanding of how prevalent conflict was during Sterne’s time is significant in helping us to comprehend Sterne’s intent and reasoning behind creating a character, like Uncle Toby, that is so absorbed in war.

Minister at York:July 29, 1750
On this day, Sterne preached a sermon with a multitude of supporters, including Voltaire. After this the sermon was published and influential to sermons by parson Yorick in Tristram Shandy. Later, in 1760, Sterne published "The Abuses of Conscience" in "The Sermons of Parson Yorick," further adding to the depth and realism of the character parson Yorick. It's clear that Sterne was greatly influenced by the act of sermon writing and integrated into his novel, eventually publishing more sermons under the pseudonym "Mr. Yorick," once again pulling from and feeding into Tristram Shandy. Sterne's life and Tristram Shandy are linked in multiple ways and sermon writing is just one example of that.

Sterne Visits France:January 1762
In January 1762 Sterne visited France in an attempt to combat his disease consumption. Volume seven of Tristram Shandy, which showcases Tristram in France, is heavily influenced by Sterne's own experience in France and draws on many of his personal experiences. Clearly without Sterne traveling to France in 1762 Tristram's own adventure would not have happened because before this volume Tristram had been building up his uncle Toby's romance but abruptly interrupts it with the stories of his travels. The similarities also relate to the health of the two, Sterne heads to France to help his consumption and Tristram comments on his "vile cough."

Abolition Passage:July 27, 1766
According to Carey, In 1766 the topic of slavery was heated with people on both sides of the debate. On July 27, 1766 Sterne puts a scene describing the plight of a young slave girl into Tristram Shandy, advocating for abolition. The debate over slavery by no means nearing an end at this time, Sterne's inclusion of this passage becomes popular for its abolitionist tone. Sterne was not the only one who considered the increasing debates of slavery an important topic as soon after he wrote this passage, Sterne received a letter from a man named Ignatius Sancho imploring him to use his literary influence to speak against slavery. Sterne's response letter became widely acknowledged as am aid for abolitionist literature, as well as the passage in Tristram Shandy itself.


Carey, Brycchan. "‘The Extraordinary Negro’: Ignatius Sancho, Joseph Jekyll, and the Problem of Biography." Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies26.1 (2003): 1-13. Web.
Sterne, Laurence, and Ian Campbell. Ross. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1983. Print.
Britannica, Encyclopedia. "Treaties of Utrecht | European History." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.
Sterne, Laurence. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 199. Print.