Article: Music's sentimental role in Tristram Shandy.(Critical Essay)

We may consider ourselves lucky that Laurence Sterne did not have the modern musical greeting-card at his disposal. Imagine opening Tristram Shandy at volume six and hearing a recording of asses braying "G-sol-re-ut" until the page was turned, or listening to an electronically whistled "Lillibullero" through much of volume three. Given Sterne's penchant for demonstrative devices like pointing hands and squiggly lines, one might not be surprised to hear some of the novel's music realized in sound. In fact, Sterne portrays music in words frequently enough to constitute a major dimension of the novel. As Alexis Tadie has pointed out, Tristram Shandy is full of sounds that ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!