The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman · Chapter
Chapter VIII explained
Tristram defends hobbyhorses, asserting there is no disputing against them, and reflects on his own harmless indulgences.
What happens
Tristram defends hobbyhorses, asserting there is no disputing against them, and reflects on his own harmless indulgences. He contrasts the reckless riding of great lords with the noble conduct of his dedicatee, and concludes with a playful dedication to that lord.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Hobbyhorses
The chapter explicitly defends hobbyhorses as personal passions, with Tristram acknowledging his own and satirizing those of great lords.
Characters to notice
- Tristram Shandy
Narrator and author of the dedication, who admits to being both fiddler and painter and rides his own hobbyhorses.
Key passages
“De gustibus non est disputandum ;—that is, there is no disputing against Hobbyhorses”
There is no arguing about personal tastes or obsessions.
Tristram uses the Latin proverb to justify his tolerance of hobbyhorses.
“I keep a couple of pads myself, upon which, in their turns, (nor do I care who knows it) I frequently ride out and take the air”
I have my own hobbyhorses that I indulge in regularly.
Tristram admits to his own harmless obsessions.
“I am not a wise man;—and besides am a mortal of so little consequence in the world, it is not much matter what I do”
I am not wise and my actions are unimportant.
Tristram downplays his own significance to excuse his hobbyhorses.
“I wish the Hobbyhorse , with all his fraternity, at the Devil.”
I wish the hobbyhorse and all its kind were damned.
Tristram expresses frustration when a nobleman's hobbyhorse delays his service to the country.