CRITICAL POINTS ON TRISTRAM SHANDY

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  • The novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy" is known for its unique structure and unconventional narrative style.The story  is considered as a non linear and fragmented style, open digressing  into various tangents and side stories.
  • Tristram Shandy  is a satirical work  that mocks various aspects of society,including politics, religion and the conventions of novel writing itself.Stern humour and irony to critic those characters and expose their absurdities. But the excessive humor used in the novel is overshadowing the meaning, as it is considered as an autobiographical novel.
  •  Tristram  Shandy's characters are eccentric and often exaggerated,Stern creates a range  of memorable characters,such as Uncle Toby,Corporal Trim and Walter Shandy,who have their unique quirks behaviour.
  • The novel constantly reflects on the passage of time and its effect on characters.
  • The most striking and formal characteristics of Tristram Shandy are its unconventional time scheme and its self-declared digressive progressive style.Sterne, through his fictional author-character Tristram,defiantly refuses to present events in their proper chronological order.
  • Digression is the central theme of Tristram Shandy.
  •  Digression refers to the action of moving away from the main subject you are writing or talking about and writing and talking about something else.There are three types of digressions found in this novel-explanatory , opinionated and interludes.
  • The explanatory digressions are used to explain the story more clearly; opinionative digressions are used to give personal opinions of the characters on several topics,so that the readers can find the story more interesting.Interludes are such digressions that have no direct relation to the main plot of the novel,but are used to tell the readers stories that are not related to the book but are interesting.
  • The sequence of the stories tells an abrupt story with the chains of associated  ideas,memories,and anecdotes .he allows thematic significance to emerge out of surprising juxtaposition between seemingly unrelated event.
  • This novel lack  linear chronological structure as because Tristram Shandy jumps back and forth in time, which interrupted the narrative with reflections on past events, anticipations of future events, and discursive asides. The nonlinear structure challenges traditional notions of plot progression and narrative coherence.
  •  This  narrative form also challenges traditional literary conventions giving a reflection of the Age of reason which emphasized broader interest in experimentation and intellectual curiosity.
  • Moreover, Tristram's attempts to assert his own agency and individuality against societal expectations align with the broader themes of autonomy and reason championed during the Enlightenment.
  •  Stern's novel is not only a work of fiction but also a philosophical enquiry into the nature of human existence.Through Tristram's digressions,Sterne explores fundamental question about life,death,morality,and meaning of existence,inviting readers to contemplate there timeless themes alongside the characters.Despite having suffered much and having been wronged in many ways, Tristram retains a non-judgmental outlook, and his mockery of the world and its follies is almost always gentle.Thus,it would be madness, in Tristram's view, to try and make Uncle Toby give up his model forts and take up a more useful or "respectable" pastime, just as it would be absurd to expect Tristram's father to set aside his pet theories about noses, names, and so on.
  • The novel is renowned for its humor and satire, which target various aspects of 18th-century English society, including politics, religion, education, and literature. Sterne employs wit, irony, and absurdity to critique social norms and conventions while entertaining readers with comedic antics.
  • The key to the enjoyment of Tristram Shandy is literalness. If we believe everything we are told in the book, understand it in the way we are told to understand it, we will not become angry and frustrated the way most past readers have. The secret is not to bring usual attitudes or traditional judgements to the book, but rather to surrender to the writer. As the author himself says, "I would go fifty miles on foot, for I have not a horse worth riding on, to kiss the hand of that man whose generous heart will give up the reins of his imagination into his author's hands, — be pleased he knows not why, and cares not wherefore."
  • Tristram Shandy also contains numerous metafictional moments where the characters acknowledge their existence within a work of fiction.For instance,Tristram frequently addresses the reader directly, commenting on the process of writing the novel and even apologizing for digressions.This self-awareness highlights the artificiality of the narrative and challenges conventional notions of realism.
  • The novel takes particular aim at the idea of rationalism – the belief by philosophers such as Leibniz and Descartes that everything can be explained by cause and effect. Shandy tries to tell his life story in a rationalist way – by tracing all of the causes that led to him being born and developing into the man he is at the time of writing.
  •  In trying to do so he covers most of his grandfather’s life, his parents’ lives, and their conception of him. This means that, in his own autobiography, Tristram isn’t even born until about 200 pages into the book.
  • The novel delves into the subjective expression of its character particularly Tristram shandy revealing the complexity of individual consciousness and the constructions of personal identity. This exercise on subject activity invite readers to critically engage with questions of cell phone agency and interplay between internal thoughts and internal realities.
  • Critics have praised Tristram Shandy for its innovative approach to story telling and its satirical commentary on various aspects of society. However some readers may find novel difficult to follow due to its complex structure and non- liner narrative.

The above pointers are a part of group discussion held in class of Miss Aditi Ghosh. The students participated in the group discussion are as follows:

  • Nihar Begum
  • Rimbi Engjaipi
  • Sajida Parvin
  • Mondira Beypi
  • Arefeara Nasrin
  • Mohsina Toyeba
  • Tanisha Nausheen
  • Mahfuza Chy
  • Dilsha Begum
  • Eltiza Khanam 
  • Nausheen Parvin
  • Rumana Mumtaj
  • Mehzubin Rahman 

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