A Sentimental Journey

When Yorick, the roving narrator of Sterne's innovative final novel, sets off for France on a whim, he produces no ordinary travelogue. Jolting along in his coach from Calais, through Paris, and on towards the Italian border, the amiable parson is blithely unconcerned by famous views or monuments, but he engages us with tales of his encounters with all manner of people, from counts and noblewomen to beggars and chambermaids. And as drama piles upon drama, anecdote, flirtation and digression, Yorick's destination takes second place to an exhilarating voyage of emotional and erotic exploration. Interweaving sharp wit with warm humour, irony with sentiment, A Sentimental Journey paints a captivating picture of an Englishman's adventures abroad.

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) was born in Ireland. After graduating from Cambridge University, he took holy orders. His masterpiece, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, made him a celebrity, but ill health necessitated recuperative travel, and A Sentimental Journey grew out of a seven-month trip through France. He died the year it was published.