Post #6 from Melissa Brooks

In "The Genius of Laurence Sterne," Hartley says Sterne has been "acclaimed a great force for Romanticism" (499). Hartley says that if Sterne has indeed been this force, it is "chiefly because he seemed to elevate Feeling above Reason" (499). Do you think the novel Tristram Shandy elevates feeling above reason--why or why not? Or, do you think this book emulates Romanticism in other ways? Do you find either feeling or reason more valuable, both in your personal life and in literature?

Prompt #5 from Melissa Pie

There are numerous characters within Tristam Shandy. Many readers I have spoken to find it easier to relate to a novel when there is one character in particular that that reader can relate to. Are there any characters that you find easier to relate to than others and why? Does it help to focus on this character more than others in understanding what has been transpiring in the novel?