The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman · Chapter
Chapter XX explained
The narrator chides a female reader for inattentive reading, insisting she re-read the previous chapter to grasp the inference that his mother was not a Papist.
What happens
The narrator chides a female reader for inattentive reading, insisting she re-read the previous chapter to grasp the inference that his mother was not a Papist. He laments the modern habit of reading only for adventure rather than deep knowledge, then presents a mock-serious consultation from the Sorbonne doctors on baptizing unborn children via a small tube, followed by Tristram Shandy's satirical query about baptizing homunculi before consummation.
Themes in this chapter
Digression and Narrative Form
The chapter is a direct address to the reader, breaking the narrative flow to comment on reading practices and the importance of attentive interpretation, exemplifying Sterne's digressive style.
The Absurdity of Systems
The Sorbonne consultation and Tristram's satirical query parody theological and medical systematizing, highlighting the absurdity of applying rigid rules to complex human situations.
Modesty and Obscenity
The discussion of baptizing unborn children via a small tube and the reference to 'homunculi' and 'consummation' tread a line between clinical theology and bawdy innuendo.
Characters to notice
- Tristram Shandy
Narrator and authorial voice; addresses the reader directly and presents a satirical query to the Sorbonne doctors.
- Mrs. Shandy
Mentioned indirectly as the mother whose religious status (not a Papist) is inferred from the previous chapter.
Key passages
“The mind should be accustomed to make wise reflections, and draw curious conclusions as it goes along; the habitude of which made Pliny the younger affirm, “That he never read a book so bad, but he drew some profit from it.””
Readers should train themselves to think critically and extract insights from any text, as Pliny the Younger claimed he could learn something even from the worst book.
This passage underscores the chapter's theme of deep reading versus superficial adventure-seeking.
“I wish it may have its effects;—and that all good people, both male and female, from her example, may be taught to think as well as read.”
I hope this lesson encourages all readers to engage thoughtfully with texts, not just read for plot.
The narrator explicitly states his didactic purpose in rebuking the inattentive reader.