Examining Fatherhood Through Historical Empathy in Tristram Shandy

Authors

MaryGrace King, College of the Holy CrossFollow

Abstract

Laurence Sterne’s eighteenth-century novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy follows the tangential musings of Tristram Shandy — musings so roundabout and convoluted that they force modern readers either to eyerolls of frustration or to a reconceived sense of humor. Within this essay, I explore the character of Tristram’s father, Walter Shandy, through a lens of historical empathy. To twenty-first century standards, Walter’s fatherhood is lacking and distant, even uncaring; yet when viewed through the lens of an eighteenth-century perspective, Walter’s motivations and eccentricities begin to make sense in the context of eighteenth-century mortality rates. I explore his unorthodox response to death in his family and the self-bequeathed duties he places upon himself as a father alongside his pressing desire to continue his lineage in the face of mortality. His focus on his duties to future posterity almost excludes his affection for his wife and son, although his expression of love to his immediate family presents itself in ways that might not resonate with modern-day readers. With this historical perspective in place, I attempt to clarify and contextualize the less-sympathetic aspects of Walter’s relationship to his family in light of Walter’s understanding of success in life and his aspirations for future generations of the Shandy line.

Recommended Citation

King, MaryGrace (2020) "Examining Fatherhood Through Historical Empathy in Tristram Shandy," The Criterion: Vol. 2020, Article 3.
Available at: https://crossworks.holycross.edu/criterion/vol2020/iss1/3