Jackson 1 Holly Jackson Dr.

Lake ENG 750-01 Conference Paper Revision November 5, 2011 Sentimental Starlings: How a Starling Helped Distinguish the Public and Private Yorick in A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy In Laurence Sternes A Sentimental Journey, Yorick is an amorous and worldly man, even though he is a reverend. His affairs and interactions with others as he travels are noted in the text, but it is his interaction with a caged starling that really affects him and causes him to think about who he is and what he believes. Some scholars, like Robert Merrett, note that the connection Yorick makes with nature is merely self-indulgent (165).1 However, the inclusion of the starling in A Sentimental Journey goes beyond self-indulgence and actually helps Yorick confront his own beliefs and fears to define himself as both a public and private figure capable of connection with other living beings as he writes about his experiences. Yorick uses his writing as a form of self discovery, connecting with the public and private to show the anxiety of authorship. When it comes to the distinction between public and private, Michael Warner explores what a public truly is and how there are differences between the public and a

Specifically, Merrett expresses that Yorick is self-indulgent in his pretensions to identify with myrtles, cypresses, and the starling [which] do not maintain traditional ritual (165).

Jackson 2 public.2 According to Warner, The public is a kind of social totality. Its most common sense is that of the people in generalA public can also be a second thing: a concrete audience, a crowd witnessing itself in visible space, as with a theatrical public (65-66). For Yorick, his interactions with the starling constitute a public, since the starling is a more concrete audience, while his fears of imprisonment deal more with the public and its judgments of others. The starling is more of a concrete audience because it is actually in the same space with Yorick, as opposed to the audience of readers hearing about the situation second-hand. Eric Miller builds on this thought by clarifying that what Yorick confronts in a caged starling [is] a potent figure for the mediation of social and personal issues (519). In this regard, the starling, while also acting as an audience for Yorick as he tries to free it, serves as a medium for Yoricks reflections of his authorship. Because it is locked up and stationary, it causes Yorick to reflect on both his own fears of imprisonment and personal issues, as well as larger social issues of imprisonment as he thinks about the actions of people who either imprison others or are imprisoned by others. Although Yorick becomes more cognizant of his behaviors and the behaviors of those around him, he still falls into familiar habits when he gives the starling to another Lord, who in turn brings the starling back into a form of the slave trade. Despite the fact that he gave the bird away to a Lord and the starling ended up being passed on, traded, and sold over and over again, its transference from Yoricks hands into the public domain helped it become a more public representation of the state of society and behaviors of people in different classes. Yorick recognized in private the wrongs of caging creatures like the starling and once it was out in public, the starling passd into the lower house, and passd the hands of as many commoners But as all those wanted to get in and my bird wanted to get out he had almost as little store
2

See Warners Publics and Counterpublics, specifically Chapter One (Public and Private) and Chapter Two (Publics and Counterpublics).

Jackson 3 set by him in London as in Paris (129). No matter where the starling was nor the class of the person who owned it, it simply wanted its freedom from its cage, whereas many of those who possessed the bird, especially commoners or those in the lower house, appeared to want to get into a cage, of sorts, of their own where they felt they would have power. Yoricks reflections on the state of the bird and its fate show that he recognizes the faults of caging people in, not only by means of imprisonment, but by class and position.3 The starling, in its cage, represents both public and private, as it is in a public setting, yet in a private cage. As Yorick tries to converse with the starling, it can only repeat four words that it was taught: I cant get out (Sterne 125). The starling is a bird that was known in the eighteenth century as a notable bird in imitating Mans Voice, and speaking articulately, which makes it more human-like and relevant in Yoricks reflections on imprisonment (Albin 41).4 Joseph Chadwick elucidates that the starling constantly chirping those same four words is because it is bereft of sentiment and that the difference between the starling and Yorick is that Yorick can invent, which is a part of the imagination and emotions which constitute his individual identity (199). 5 His empathy with the birds plight leads him to reflect on his own situation and potential imprisonment. The starling is abundant and well regarded in Great Britain and Bayard Christy notes that its abundance does not appear prejudicial to other species (14). With that in mind, its imprisonment in the text can be questioned: if the starling
3

Robert Merrett noted the connection of class and the eighteenth-century novel as well: In promoting social hierarchy and economic progress and in applying cultural and spiritual perspectives to empiricism, natural history made it impossible for the novel to avoid dialectical modes and concepts. In this manner, the caged bird as a representation of social hierarchy and class desires seems fitting (170).
4

Richard Bradley also said that starlings, among other birds, are often taught to pronounce words distinctly in his 1721 work, A Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature (81).
5

Starlings Imitate other species, especially those with whistled notes, so they do not have their own unique identity all of the time (Alderfer).

Jackson 4 does not harbor prejudices towards other species or negatively affect their lives, why is it caged? Likewise, Yorick does not commit any obvious crime against humanity; his crime, instead, is merely entering France without a passport. However, he is told that he faces imprisonment in the Bastille. Tackling this fear and attempting to help the starling shows that Yorick cares about the well-being of others and will publicly assist them, to some extent. Despite this assistance, Yorick could not open the cage. Instead, he reflects upon the nature of slavery and how even though the birds speech was mechanical, it was so true in tune to nature (Sterne 126). Robert Huxleys work on the eighteenth century shows that The long eighteenth centurys burgeoning interest in the natural worldresulted in a period dominated by the description and collection of natural objects (70).6 With such an interest in the natural world, the use of a natural object, like the starling, to represent human feelings and fears increases the connection between humanity and nature. What exactly does this starling connect to emotion-wise? Yorick. As he reflects on the starlings containment further, Yorick imagines that the starling is his single captive who was sitting upon the ground upon a little straw, in the furthest corner of his dungeona little calendar of small sticks were laid at the head notchd all over with the dismal days and nights he had passd there he had one of these little sticks in his hand, and with a rusty nail he was etching another day of misery to add to the heap. As I darkened the little light he had, he lifted up a hopeless eye towards the door, then cast it downI heard his chains upon his legsHe gave a deep sigh. (Sterne 127)

This resulted in a database being created that gradually shifted in its emphasis towards explaining as well as describing the diversity of life, past and present, which allowed the general public to learn about various living creatures like the starling (Huxley70).

Jackson 5 A bird cannot sigh nor really have chains upon his legs nor use a stick in a hand to etch upon a stick. So, what is really going on here? Yorick is putting himself in the starlings place, imagining that he is the one imprisoned. Could this be considered selfish or self-indulgent? Yes, but Yorick also focuses on fears of imprisonment that lead him to think of slavery. With these thoughts, Yorick is thinking beyond his own fears and connecting with slaves in what would be their private setting: a cage. The private fears of Yorick lead to his connection to slaves and an understanding of the more public fear and plight of slaves.7 This connection with slaves is problematic in that Yorick himself has not been imprisoned or forced into slavery. Neither has Sterne, the author whose imagination Yorick comes from. Sterne was, however, communicating via letter with Ignatius Sancho, an African and former slave, who implored him to write about slavery and advocate for abolition.8 The starling, the slave of Yoricks journey, is not only depicted as a human slave, trapped in a cell with chains, etching his days of imprisonment into his surroundings, he is also sold multiple times. The bird becomes the image of slavery that is reminiscent of Sternes communication with Sancho. Its story advocates for freedom for slaves, yet also serves as a representation of Yoricks anxiety of authorship. His travel memoir up until his encounter with the starling had served as a journal of sorts, dealing with his encounters with other people, most of which were with women whom he had more intimate relations with. The starling, then, serves as a symbol of

Sterne described A Sentimental Journey as his work of redemption, which has led some scholars to believe that Yorick is really representative of Sterne, making the slavery references and public/private connections more significant to the author (Ross 18). This is especially true if readers consider his letters to and from Ignacio, who asks Sterne to write about the plight of slaves and become an advocate for abolition (Carey).
8

See Brycchan Careys British Abolitionism and the Rhetoric of Sensibility, specifically pages 57-63 (Laurence Sterne and Ignatius Sancho) for more on Sterne and Sanchos communication.

Jackson 6 Yoricks anxieties of authorship and also of his reflections of society and his own behaviors, both public and private reflections. Accepting that the starling is a form of social and personal reflection gives readers an introduction to the more philanthropic side of Yorick shown in the second volume of A Sentimental Journey. During the first part of the novel, Yorick was less philanthropic and more adventurous as details of his travels included his sexual encounters, his hiring of a servant, and his disappointment with his behavior with a monk. While there are a few charitable encounters, more are seen in the second half of the novel where Yorick attempts to rescue the starling, consoles Maria, and witnesses two women giving a beggar money. The starling helps Yorick to reflect on his behaviors and recognize the importance of philanthropy and helping others rather than focusing solely on himself and his own situations. Even though Yorick was terrified at the idea of being imprisoned in the Bastille, and to some extent projected that onto the starling, he moved beyond his own fears and recognized the plight of others who are imprisoned in various ways and reflected on that. In this way, the starling helped Yorick realize that he should be more concerned with others and that he can be a good person by helping others. This connection with others can aid Yorick in becoming the best person he can be in both public and private. The more philanthropic actions of Yorick also work to alleviate some of the anxiety that he faces after the starling incident. Another method that Yorick uses to attempt to grow from his encounter with the starling was to add the starling to his crest of arms, a very personal, yet public, action.9 As the bird was passed around, Yoricks servant La Fleur managed to purchase him from their hotel owner for a

Eric Miller examines the idea that Any family arms is a private icon, insofar as it stands for one clan in contrast to the community at large. But such arms equally embody a familys conscious self-construction. The arms deploy communal signs to reflect a preferred private truth (524).

Jackson 7 bottle of Burgundy. After that, Yorick kept the bird with him until Italy where he gave the bird to one Lord who sold it to another and so forth (Sterne 128). This reflection on the fate of the bird leads Yorick to show his audience his crest of arms, upon which he had placed the starling. Instead of simply keeping the personal importance of his encounter with the starling to himself, Yorick publicly shows the importance of the starling on his crest. This is significant because a crest of arms is a part of a persons personal and familial identity. A starling on Yoricks crest of arms shows that Yorick feels an even deeper connection with the starling, not only making it public, but also recognizing the public aspect that the starling has brought up: slavery and imprisonment and their anxiety-inducing effects on society and Yorick. The crest of arms is also very personal to Yorick, belonging not only to him, but to generations of his family. This image may be displayed among other crests in society, but it represents the private and personal family. Some scholars have expressed that society and the public sphere are actually a collection of private individuals who are come together and in a sense, this describes a family: a group of individuals who interact with each other and are connected on multiple levels.10 The crest links all of them together and yet it gives them each a bit of their individuality. Part of who they are can be seen in this crest and in the generations that have come before them. By adding the starling to his crest, Yorick is taking his authorial anxiety and sharing it with future generations of his family, making the crest his own and yet sharing that change in beliefs and thoughts with his family. Although briefly mentioned in the text, the starling serves as both a wake-up call and turning point for Yorick in his journeys. As both a man and an author, the circumstances of the starling stand out to Yorick and really cause him to reflect on many things, including more
10

See Jrgen Habermass The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, specifically section two: Social Structures of the Public Sphere.

Jackson 8 personal reflections of who he is in public and in private, to questions of slavery and the inequality of the different classes in eighteenth-century Britain. Yoricks multiple reactions to the starling, from reflection of its situation, to attempting to free it, to purchasing it, to giving it away show the range of behaviors that society had in terms of not only slavery, but themselves. Some people simply reflected on their situations, while others attempt to free themselves from their limitations, while some sell their services or even just give them away. Any way that you look at it, the starling is a provocation for readers and Yorick alike to reflect on human behavior in both the public and private spheres of their lives. While this can be problematic for scholars in terms of slavery, Sternes novel is calling attention to the issues that he discussed with people who had actually experienced slavery. This direct appeal to include certain themes in Sternes writing affects his main characters own anxieties as an author and allows readers to see how Yoricks sentimental writings about a starling really work as a reflection of the public and private spheres of life.

Jackson 9 Works Cited Albin, Eleazar and William Derham. A Natural History Of Birds: Illustrated With Two Hundred And Five Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven From The Life. London: St. Pauls, 1721. Alderfer, Jonathan, ed. National Geographic Complete Book of Birds. Margate, FL: National Geographic, 2005. Bradley, Richard and William Mears. A Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature. London: Lamb, 1721. Carey, Brycchan. British Abolitionism and the Rhetoric of Sensibility. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Chadwick, Joseph. Infinite Jest: Interpretation in Sternes A Sentimental Journey. EighteenthCentury Studies 12 (1978-79): 190-205. Christy, Bayard H. British Birds at a Glance. The Auk 47 (1930): 11-21. Habermas, Jrgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Cambridge: MIT P, 1992. Huxley, Robert. Challenging the dogma: classifying and describing the natural world. Enlightenment: Discovering the World in the Eighteenth Century. Eds. Kim Sloan and Andrew Burnett. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2003. 70-79. Merrett, Robert James. Natural History and the Eighteenth-Century English Novel. Eighteenth-Century Studies 25 (1991): 145-170. Miller, Eric. The Insufficiency, Success, and Significance of Natural History. Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 35 (1995): 519-534. OBrien, Karen. History and the Novel in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Huntington Library Quarterly 68 (2005): 397-413.

Jackson 10 Ross, Ian Campbell. Laurence Sternes life, milieu, and literary career. A Cambridge Companion to Laurence Sterne. Ed. Thomas Keymer. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009. Sterne, Laurence. A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. Ed. Katherine Turner. Buffalo, NY: Broadview, 2010. Warner, Michael. Publics and Counterpublics. New York: Zone Books, 2002.