The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman · Chapter
Chapter XXIV explained
The narrator defends his method of revealing Uncle Toby's character through his Hobbyhorse, describing the unique bond between a man and his hobbyhorse as akin to electrified bodies.
What happens
The narrator defends his method of revealing Uncle Toby's character through his Hobbyhorse, describing the unique bond between a man and his hobbyhorse as akin to electrified bodies. He praises the singularity of Uncle Toby's Hobbyhorse and promises to explain how Uncle Toby came by it.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Hobbyhorses
The chapter explores the nature of hobbyhorses and the intimate connection between a man and his hobbyhorse, using Uncle Toby's singular hobbyhorse as a central example.
Characters to notice
- Uncle Toby
The subject of the chapter; his character is to be revealed through his unique Hobbyhorse.
Key passages
“A man and his Hobbyhorse , though I cannot say that they act and react exactly after the same manner in which the soul and body do upon each other: Yet doubtless there is a communication between them of some kind; and my opinion rather is, that there is something in it more of the manner of electrified bodies,—and that, by means of the heated parts of the rider, which come immediately into contact with the back of the Hobbyhorse ,—by long journeys and much friction, it so happens, that the body of the rider is at length fill'd as full of Hobbyhorsical matter as it can hold;⸺so that if you are able to give but a clear description of the nature of the one, you may form a pretty exact notion of the genius and character of the other.”
The narrator suggests that a man and his hobbyhorse have a communication akin to electrified bodies, where prolonged contact fills the rider with hobbyhorsical matter, so that describing the hobbyhorse reveals the rider's character.
This passage establishes the metaphorical framework for understanding Uncle Toby's character through his hobbyhorse.