A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy

A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy is a novel by Laurence Sterne, who travelled through France and Italy as far south as Naples, and after returning determined to describe his travels from a sentimental point of view. The narrator is the Reverend Mr. Yorick, who is slyly represented to guileless readers as Sterne's barely disguised alter ego. The book recounts his various adventures, usually of the amorous type. Yorick's journey starts in Calais, where he meets a monk who begs for donations to his convent. Yorick initially refuses to give him anything, but later regrets his decision. He finds the monk, they exchange their snuff-boxes, and Yorick buys a chaise to continue his journey.

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) was an Irish-born English language novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He wrote the novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, and also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics.