ABSTRACT
LaurenceSternehadofcoursetravelledinFranceandItaly,from1762to1764 andfrom1765to1766respectively.Hewasdoubtlessalsoakeenreaderof travelaccounts;thiscertainlyappearstobethecasejudgingfromthecatalogue ofhispersonallibrary,althoughthiscataloguedoesincludebooksbelonging tootherauthors.3Itcountsmorethanseventyworksofthistype,including Smollett'sTravelsthroughFranceandItaly(1766)andSharp'sLettersfrom Italy(1766).4TherearealsovariousguidebooksonFranceandtheGrandTour aswellasvolumessuchasPiganioldelaForce'sNouveauVoyagedeFrance (1724)andAddison'sRemarksonSeveralPartsofItaly(1705).Thelatterhad servedasamodelintermsofformforagreatnumberofeighteenth-century travelaccounts.ThereisnowayofknowingifSternehadactuallyreadthese books,butthereisnodoubtinghisfamiliaritywiththegenre.InVolumeVIIof TristramShandyhehadalreadygivenaparodicaccountofajourneytoFrance whichismorethanpuredigression.TheLatinepigraphtothevolume,'Non
enimexcursushisejus,sedopusipsumest',takenfromLettersbyPlinythe Younger,announcesitsimportancefromtheoutset,givingitacentralplacein thework.
