Yorick’s Rise and Fall

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

This thread traces Yorick’s candid humour, the hostility it attracts, and the posthumous restoration of his reputation.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Unpractised Parson The Unpractised Parson from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". Wit Against Gravity A distinctive character Yorick dislikes gravity when it disguises ignorance or folly.

The Unpractised Parson from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". Wit Against Gravity A distinctive character Yorick dislikes gravity when it disguises ignorance or folly.

Wit Against Gravity A distinctive character Yorick dislikes gravity when it disguises ignorance or folly. He speaks plainly and often turns serious topics into jokes. A social liability His openness leaves him unprotected in a world of rank and resentment. He rarely considers how his words may be used against him.

Jokes Become Debts Jokes Become Debts from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". The Cost of Jest Accumulating offence Yorick’s jokes create many small enemies, though he sees them as harmless play.

Jokes Become Debts from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". The Cost of Jest Accumulating offence Yorick’s jokes create many small enemies, though he sees them as harmless play.

The Cost of Jest Accumulating offence Yorick’s jokes create many small enemies, though he sees them as harmless play. Eugenius warns that a jested-at person may remember the injury longer than the joker remembers the joke. A warning ignored Yorick trusts good intentions to protect him. The novel contrasts his sincerity with the calculations of those around him.

The Attack on Yorick The Attack on Yorick from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". A Coordinated Fall Reputation under assault A confederacy attacks Yorick’s position and character.

The Attack on Yorick from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". A Coordinated Fall Reputation under assault A confederacy attacks Yorick’s position and character.

A Coordinated Fall Reputation under assault A confederacy attacks Yorick’s position and character. He is too trusting to recognize the campaign until it has already taken hold. The loss He fights with courage but is worn down by the attack’s unfairness. His death is described as a consequence of social cruelty rather than a single wound.

The Last Conversation The Last Conversation from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". A Farewell with Wit Eugenius visits Eugenius finds Yorick near death and tries to comfort him.

The Last Conversation from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". A Farewell with Wit Eugenius visits Eugenius finds Yorick near death and tries to comfort him.

A Farewell with Wit Eugenius visits Eugenius finds Yorick near death and tries to comfort him. Yorick asks him to look at his bruised head, joking that no mitre would fit it. The final light A flash of his old spirit returns before he dies. Friendship and humour persist even at the end.

The Posthumous Sermon The Posthumous Sermon from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". Reputation Recovered A sermon misplaced Yorick’s sermon on conscience is lost, recovered, and then misattributed by a later clergyman.

The Posthumous Sermon from "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman". Reputation Recovered A sermon misplaced Yorick’s sermon on conscience is lost, recovered, and then misattributed by a later clergyman.

Reputation Recovered A sermon misplaced Yorick’s sermon on conscience is lost, recovered, and then misattributed by a later clergyman. The narrator exposes the appropriation. A belated memorial The account offers some justice to Yorick’s memory. His humane writing survives the distortions that damaged his life.

Before Tristram’s birth

During Yorick’s years as parson

Shortly before Yorick’s death

A few hours before Yorick’s death

After Yorick’s death