A Sentimental Journey through France & Italy

Laurence Sterne's "A Sentimental Journey through France & Italy," first published in 1768 and later reissued by Houghton Mifflin in 1905, is a novel that blends travel writing with autobiographical elements. The narrative follows the character Reverend Mr. Yorick, who is widely recognized as a thinly veiled alter ego of Sterne himself, as he travels through France and Italy. Unlike typical travelogues of the time that focused on geographical and cultural observations, Sterne’s work delves into the emotional and philosophical reactions of the narrator to the people and situations he encounters.