55 pages • 1-hour read
A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy
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Chapters 10-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 10-12 Summary
Yorick admits that he was enchanted by the “figure and appearance” (14) of the woman when he first spotted her talking to the monk. Now, standing next to the her, he admires her “good education and her good sense” (14), demonstrated by her offering him her hand. At first, he imagines her to be stunningly beautiful, then discovers that she is not “critically handsome” (15), though he does find her face to be interesting and believes he can detect some great tragedy in the woman’s past. As the two stand staring at the carriage door, Yorick feels benevolent and resolves to speak to her, saying that it must be fate that has brought them together in this moment. She chastises him for commenting on this and withdraws her hand, an act that mortifies Yorick. He tries to rally, beginning another conversation when she places her hand in his again, but fails, losing her hand and his train of thought. Dessein returns with the key and Yorick decides that the woman must have spoken to the monk, who prejudiced her against him.
The monk approaches them and offers Yorick his snuffbox. Yorick pulls out his more expensive snuffbox and insists that the monk use it. When the monk compliments its contents, Yorick insists that they swap snuffboxes as a “peace offering” (16) for Yorick’s earlier offence. The monk blushes, insisting that Yorick did not insult him. An awkward silence descends on the party before the monk offers his own, cheaper snuff box to Yorick. They exchange boxes and the monk departs. Yorick admits that he keeps the snuff box with him at all times, to remind him of the “courteous spirit of its owner to regulate my own” (16). In later life, he visits the convent and inquires about the monk, only to find that the man has died. After, Yorick lays the cheap snuffbox on the grave and sheds a tear.
Chapters 13-15 Summary
Yorick is still holding the woman’s hand as they wait in front of the store. The Englishmen who had interrupted him earlier mistake them for a married couple. After a stilted conversation, Yorick discovers that the woman is heading in mostly the same direction as he is, so he considers offering her half of his carriage. His brain warns him of all the negative sides of the idea, but he admits that he “generally [acts] from the first impulse” (17) and decides to make the offer. But by the time he has reached a decision, the woman has walked away. Yorick considers chasing after her, but decides against it and begins to return to the store.
When the woman is 20 paces away, a thought dawns on Yorick: he might never see her again. Standing in front of the store, a French captain appears and asks to be introduced to the woman. Yorick obliges the man and listens to the conversation, hoping to learn more about the woman. The French captain asks the woman whether she is married and then departs without waiting for an answer.
As the French captain leaves, Dessein returns with the key. He leads Yorick and the woman into the store and shows them a number of carriages. As they inspect one small carriage, Dessein encourages Yorick and the woman to get inside. When they do, he locks the door and leaves.
Chapters 16-18 Summary
Locked in the carriage, the woman describes the situation as “very droll” (19). They discuss the French, who possess a greater “understanding” (19) of love, though Yorick considers them “errant bunglers” and “the worst set of marksmen that ever tried cupid’s patience” (19).
Yorick and the woman share a tender moment in the carriage before Dessein returns once more and opens the door. He informs the woman that her brother, the Count de L----, has arrived. Before Yorick can make his suggestion of travelling together, the woman interrupts him and bids him farewell.
Yorick quickly finishes the acquisition of his carriage, noting how quickly his time in Calais has already passed. He compares the “large volume of adventures” (20) he has already experienced with those of Smelfungus, a fellow travel writer. Smelfungus “set out with spleen and jaundice” (21) so his writings were nothing more than an “account of his miserable feelings” (21). Yorick believes Smelfungus is a bad writer, a worse traveler, and a person who never truly experiences the world. He resolves to travel differently.
Chapters 10-18 Analysis
In the sections above, two of Yorick’s interactions denote specific character traits that will be evident elsewhere in the book. The awkward conversations with the woman and the monk serve to show how Yorick speaks differently to different people; he guides the audience through his thought process as his efforts to seduce the woman contrast with his mild social failings when dealing with the monk.
Key to both of these conversations is Yorick’s arrogance. As a brash, impetuous man, he is quick to act and does not always think about the consequences of what he is about to do. When talking to the monk earlier, for example, he said aloud the first thoughts that entered his head and then immediately regretted it. Later, he decides to reconcile this issue and the “peace offering” (16) is designed not just to put Yorick’s own mind at ease, but also to impress the woman with whom he hopes to share a carriage. Yorick does not like the idea that the monk has passed along the story about Yorick’s rudeness and tries very hard to make up for this error, even though he is then told by the monk that “the fault was in me, and in the indiscretion of my zeal” (16). Yorick has internalized his guilt and recognizes what he did was wrong, but has only sought to make up for it when he tries to impress the woman. Earlier, when Yorick sees the monk across the courtyard, he’s happy to simply hide. This embarrassing interaction costs Yorick his snuffbox, though he is able to extract a life lesson from the incident, which he shares with the reader. Coupled with his repeatedly-failed attempts to ingratiate himself to the woman, Yorick is portrayed as something of a fool. But, as the narrative is written (and theoretically controlled) by Yorick himself, the fact that he is happy to share these anecdotes reveals a self-effacing, introspective side to his arrogance, creating a greater sense of sympathy in the mind of the audience.
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