Sternean Negotiations:a Study Of Laurence Sterne’s Novels In The Literary Field Of Mid-Eighteenth Century England

The heterogeneity between the generic style of Tristram Shandy and A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne and the generic convention of mid-eighteenth century English novels has always been the focus of Sterne research field. This leads to the controversy and dialogue about what genre the two works are and what literary tradition they belong to between different generations of scholars since1950s. However most studies have been based on the writer’s intention to define the genre of Sterne’s works, and the role that the readers can play in defining the genre of Sterne’s works has been neglected. This dissertation re-explores the heterogeneity between Sterne’s works and mid-eighteen century English novel convention, and redefines the genre his works are from the perspective of readers’reception. Based on the analysis about the interactive relationship between writer and reader demonstrated by Sterne’s works, and the reflection upon the epistemology and methodology of established reception study, this dissertation combines Hans Robert Jauss’reception aesthetics and Pierre Boudieu’s cultural sociology to construct the aesthetic-cultural genetic structural field model of reception study. This model has three breakthroughs:firstly, the concept of evaluative reader is invented; secondly, it improves the previous generic structural method; thirdly, it fuses the literary and social horizons. Footing on this model, this dissertation puts Sternean negotiations (the negotiations between Sterne/writer and evaluative readers) in the whole structure of the decline of satire and the rise of the novel in mid-eighteenth century. Three negotiations about genre, narrative form and morality will be illustrated in order to interpret the heterogeneity and genre of Sterne’s works.Genre negotiation means the negotiations about the genre of Tristram Shandy between Sterne and three kinds of real evaluative readers. Their negotiations present the cultural structural dimension within the literary field of mid-eighteenth century. The formation of the structural relationship is motivated by the negotiations between Sterne and real evaluative readers, and demonstrates the marginal position of satire and the dominant position of novel. There are two reasons that it is called cultural dimension. Firstly, the three kinds of real evaluative readers with whom Sterne negotiates are publisher, literary clubs and literary reviews. Their negotiations are based on the gain of cultural capital and the implementation of symbolic power. Secondly, the hierarchical relationship between satire and novel is presented by the dominant social position of novel and marginal social position of satirical poets. The negotiations between Sterne and real evaluative readers show that Sterne initially defines Tristram Shandy as a satire, but the evaluative readers make him reduce satirical features and increase novelistic features in his works. Finally, Sterne completely adopts the novelistic style in A Sentimental Journey. The negotiation process demonstrates the historical context of the rise of novel and its absorption of satire.Narrative negotiation means the negotiations about narrative between the writer and evaluative readers in Tristram Shandy. Their negotiations present the aesthetic structural relationship within the literary field of mid-eighteenth century. The reasons that it is called aesthetic dimension are as follows. Firstly, the negotiations take place between the potential writer and the potential evaluative readers; secondly, the negotiation content is the narrative convention of novel; thirdly, the result of negotiations is represented by the text. The analyses about writer-reader’s conversation phenomenon and progressive-digressive emplotment demonstrate that Sterne mixes novel and satire in Tristram Shandy. If making the structural relationship between Sterne and three real evaluative readers as the reference, then the negotiations between potential writer and potential evaluative readers within Tristram Shandy display the counter-current genetic structure. Sterne uses the narrative style of satire to challenge the narrative convention of novel. The satirical narrative style violates both aesthetic and moral connotations of novel. This indicates reviewers’future negative evaluation and Sterne’s transformation of writing style in A Sentimental Journey.Morality negotiation means the negotiations about morality between the potential writer and potential evaluative readers in A Sentimental Journey. Their negotiations also present the aesthetic structural relationship within the literary field of mid-eighteenth century. The only difference between this aesthetic dimension and previous one (narrative negotiation) is that the object of this negotiation is moral convention of the novel. The negotiations between writer and evaluative readers in A Sentimental Journey are not represented by the obvious writer-reader dialogues, but by the conscious correction of the lack of moral didacticism in Tristram Shandy. A Sentimental Journey shows the moral connotations in moral sense and moral behaviors. Sterne does not completely comply with the expectations of evaluative readers, but transforms the satirical style into ironic style to question the essence of morals. If taking the structural relationship between Sterne and three real evaluative readers as the reference, then the negotiations between potential writer and potential evaluative readers in A Sentimental Journey demonstrates the co-current genetic structure. Novelistic features occupy the dominant position, while the satirical features drop back to the marginal position in this work. This marks Sterne’s integration into the novelistic tradition of mid-eighteenth century.In conclusion, Sternean negotiations demonstrate the interactive relationship between writer and evaluative readers in cultural and aesthetic dimensions. The interactive relationship in aesthetic dimension is represented by the counter-current genetic structure of Tristram Shandy and the co-current genetic structure in A Sentimental Journey. The aesthetic structural change from counter-current to co-current demonstrates that the aesthetic structure has homological relationship with cultural structure. In the mutual reflection of the structural relationship between aesthetic and cultural dimensions, the dissertation discovers the reason of the heterogeneity of Sterne’s works from the mid-eighteenth century English novel is that satire and novel are mixed together in his works during the negotiation process between Sterne and evaluative readers. Sterne gradually reduces satirical attributes in his two works until he integrates into the tradition of novel. Sterne’s two works witness the process of novel’s absorption of satire during the rise of novel in mid-eighteenth century. The novel can absorb satire due to its "order construction" tendency. In comparison to the "order deconstruction" tendency of satire, the "order construction" tendency of novel satisfies the needs of constructing stable and harmonious social order in the capitalist development of mid-eighteenth century England. The study of Sternean negotiations as a case has some theoretic discoveries, firstly, the negotiation between writer and evaluative readers can produce the meaning of the text; secondly, different genetic structures of different works can construct the trace of literary history; thirdly literary and social attributes can be combined to interpret literary works. The study of Sternean negotiations has some implications for further study. The aesthetic-cultural genetic structural field model can be used to study the writer’s works which are produced in the transitional historical periods.