Sentimentalism in the 18th Century: Samuel Richardson and Laurence Sterne
Keywords:
Sentimentalism; 18th-century literature; Samuel Richardson; Laurence Sterne; epistolary novel; psychological realism; sensibility; emotion; moral virtue; A Sentimental Journey; Tristram Shandy.Abstract
This paper examines the development of Sentimentalism in 18th-century English literature through the works of Samuel Richardson and Laurence Sterne. Sentimentalism emerged as a reaction to Enlightenment rationalism, emphasizing emotional sensitivity, sympathy, and moral virtue as central aspects of human experience. Samuel Richardson’s epistolary novels, particularly Pamela and Clarissa, established the psychological depth and moral seriousness of the sentimental tradition by revealing characters’ inner conflicts and emotional struggles. Laurence Sterne, in contrast, combined sentiment with humour and narrative experimentation in works such as Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey, highlighting the beauty of everyday emotional experiences while gently satirizing exaggerated sensibility. By comparing the two authors, the study demonstrates how their distinct approaches contributed to the development of the sentimental novel and influenced later European and Romantic literature. The paper concludes that Sentimentalism played a crucial role in expanding the literary representation of emotion and laying the foundation for modern psychological fiction.
References
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