In 'Our Sentimental Journey through France and Italy,' Elizabeth Robins Pennell and Joseph Pennell seamlessly weave together an array of perspectives that traverse the rich cultural and historical tapestry of these two nations. This anthology is distinguished by its vivid recounting of travel experiences and its exploration of the nuanced interplay between personal memories and the grandeur of Europes landscapes and urban life. The anthology is marked by its diversity in literary stylesfrom reflective essays to lyrical proseproviding readers with a comprehensive understanding of France and Italy's intrinsic allure. The Pennells own contributions stand out for their evocative descriptions and deep personal reflections, setting a high standard for the anthology's collective narrative voice. The Pennells were not only consummate authors but also keen observers of the cultural and artistic movements of their time. Their background as intellectuals and artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries enriched their writings with insights into the Europen fin de siècle. By intertwining their experiences with historical and cultural analyses, they offer a unique lens through which to view the evolving landscapes of France and Italy, aligning their work with broader literary and artistic movements of their era. This collection is an essential read for anyone interested in travel literature, cultural history, or the art of storytelling through personal journeys. It invites readers to embark on their own voyage across the pages, exploring diverse voices and perspectives that enrich understanding and evoke the spirit of adventure. Through 'Our Sentimental Journey through France and Italy,' the Pennells provide a panorama of experiences that promise to educate, inspire, and kindle a sense of wanderlust, making it a valuable addition to the libraries of scholars and enthusiasts alike.

"Our great ambition when we first set out on our tricycle, three years ago, was to ride from London to Rome. We did not then know exactly why we wanted to do this, nor do we now. The third part of the journey was 'ridden, written, and wrought into a work" before the second part was begun; and, moreover, when and where we could not ride with ease -- across the Channel and over the Alps, for example --- we went by boat and train. In our simplicity we thought by publishing the story of our journey, we could show the world at large, and perhaps Mr. Ruskin in particular, that the oft-regretted delights of travelling in days of coach and post-chaise, destroyed on the coming of the railroad, were once more to be had by means of tricycle or bicycle. We can only hope that critic and reader are not, like Mr. Ruskin, prepared to spend all their best "bad language" "in reprobation of bi-tri-and-4-5-6- or 7-cycles," and that the riding we found so beautiful will not to them, as to him, be a but a vain wriggling on wheels. We also thought we might prove to the average cycler how much better it is to spend spare time and money in making Pilgrims' Progresses and Sentimental Journeys than in hanging around race-tracks. However that may be, we have at length accomplished the object of our riding, and that is the great matter after all. As to future rides and records, if we make any, it is our intention to for ever keep them to ourselves, and so -- spare the public."--

Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy continues to be as widely read and admired as upon its first appearance. Deemed more accessible than Sterne’s Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and often assigned as a college text, A Sentimental Journey has received its share of critical attention, but—unlike Tristram Shandy—to date it has not been the subject of a dedicated anthology of critical essays. This volume fills that gap with fresh perspectives on Sterne’s novel that will appeal to students and critics alike. Together with an introduction that situates each essay within A Sentimental Journey’s reception history, and a tailpiece detailing the culmination of Sterne’s career and his death, this volume presents a cohesive approach to this significant text that is simultaneously grounded and revelatory.

A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy is a novel by Laurence Sterne, written and first published in 1768, as Sterne was facing death. In 1765, Sterne 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 novel can be seen as an epilogue to the possibly unfinished work The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and also as an answer to Tobias Smollett's decidedly unsentimental Travels Through France and Italy. Sterne had met Smollett during his travels in Europe, and strongly objected to his spleen, acerbity and quarrelsomeness. He modeled the character of Smelfungus on him.

Brand New Edition. A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, By Laurence Sterne, A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy is a novel by Laurence Sterne, written and first published in 1768, as Sterne was facing death. In 1765, Sterne 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 novel can be seen as an epilogue to the possibly unfinished work The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and also as an answer to Tobias Smollett's decidedly unsentimental Travels through France and Italy. (Sterne met Smollett during his travels in Europe, and strongly objected to his spleen, acerbity and quarrelsomeness. He modeled the character of Smelfungus on him). The novel was extremely popular and influential and helped establish travel writing as the dominant genre of the second half of the 18th century. Unlike prior travel accounts which stressed classical learning and objective non-personal points of view, A Sentimental Journey emphasized the subjective discussions of personal taste and sentiments, of manners and morals over classical learning. Throughout the 1770s female travel writers began publishing significant numbers of sentimental travel accounts. Sentiment also became a favorite style among those expressing non-mainstream views including political radicalism. 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, in a series of self-contained episodes. The book is less eccentric and more elegant in style than Tristram Shandy and was better received by contemporary critics. It was published on 27 February, and on 18 March Sterne died.

'Love is nothing without feeling. And feeling is still less without love.' Celebrated in its own day as the progenitor of 'a school of sentimental writers', A Sentimental Journey (1768) has outlasted its many imitators because of the humour and mischievous eroticism that inform Mr Yorick's travels. Setting out to journey to France and Italy he gets little further than Lyons but finds much to appreciate, in contrast to contemporary travel writers whom Sterne satirizes in the figures of Smelfungus and Mundungus. A master of ambiguity and double entendre, Sterne is nevertheless as concerned as his peers with exploring the nature of virtue; unlike other writers of sentimental fiction Sterne insists on the inseparability of desire and feeling. This new edition includes a selection from The Sermons of Mr Yorick, which shed light on the concerns of the Journey, The Journal to Eliza, which records Sterne's feelings as he languishes for the company of Eliza Draper, and A Political Romance, the satire on a local ecclesiastical squabble that was the catalyst for Sterne's literary career. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

"[...]ransom of the unfortunate. - The monk made me a bow. - But of all others, resumed I, the unfortunate of our own country, surely, have the first rights; and I have left thousands in distress upon our own shore. - The monk gave a cordial wave with his head, - as much as to say, No doubt there is misery enough in every corner of the world, as well as within our convent - But we distinguish, said I, laying my hand upon the sleeve of his tunic, in return for his appeal - we distinguish, my good father! betwixt those who wish only to eat the bread of their own labour - and those who eat the bread of other people's, and have no other plan in life, but to get through it in sloth and ignorance, for the love of God. The poor Franciscan made no reply: a hectic of a moment pass'd across his cheek, but could not tarry - Nature seemed to have done with her resentments in him; - he showed none: - but letting his staff fall within his arms, he pressed both his hands with resignation upon his breast, and retired. THE MONK. CALAIS. [...]".