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A Sentimental Journey is a novel without a plot, a journey without a destination. It records the adventures of the amiable Parson Yorick, as he sets off on his travels through France and Italy, relishing his encounters with all manner of men and women-particularly the pretty ones. Sterne's tale rapidly moves away from the narrative of travel to become a series of dramatic sketches, ironic incidents, philosophical musings, reminiscences, and anecdotes; sharp wit is mixed with gaiety, irony with tender feeling. With A Sentimental Journey , as well as his masterpiece, Tristram Shandy , Sterne forged a truly original style and established himself as the first of the stream-of-consciousness writers.

This new Penguin Classics edition features an introduction that discusses the novel in relation to Sterne's other writing and places it within the context of "sentimental" literature. Also included are a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and full explanatory notes.

劳伦斯•斯特恩（Laurence Sterne，1713—1768），18世纪英国小说大师。他生活于英语小说刚刚开始成型的时期，但他又打破了小说创作的一切规则和束缚，他上承拉伯雷和塞万提斯的伟大传统，下启普鲁斯特、詹姆斯•乔伊斯、弗吉尼亚•伍尔夫等第一批现代主义大师，被誉为意识流乃至整个现代派小说的鼻祖，甚至是生活于18世纪的第一位后现代小说家。

斯特恩宁愿走大脑那弯弯曲曲的小路，而不愿请教导游手册，走它指引的平坦大道，就这方面来说，唯独斯特恩属于我们这一代。就斯特恩关心无声胜于语言而论，他是现代派的先驱。由于这些原因，他跟我们当代人的关系，比他的伟大的同时代人理查逊和菲尔丁跟我们的关系要亲密得多。——弗吉尼亚•伍尔夫