Laurence Sterne in Germany A Contribution to the Study of the Literary Relations of England and Germany in the Eighteenth Century — Text and Context

Catalog Subjects vs. Actual Content

The Project Gutenberg record assigns this work to 'Machines, Inventions & Early Science Fiction,' a category that bears no relation to the text. The catalog subjects—'Sterne, Laurence, 1713-1768 -- Appreciation -- Germany; Comparative literature -- English and German; Comparative literature -- German and English'—are accurate but broad. The excerpts reveal a focused scholarly monograph: Hewett-Thayer traces Sterne's reception through translations, imitations, and critical responses, with chapters on 'Sterne in Germany before the Publication of The Sentimental Journey' and 'Opposition to Sterne and His Type of Sentimentalism.' The work is a contribution to literary history, not science fiction.

Goethe's Borrowings from Sterne

A substantial portion of the excerpted text examines whether Goethe plagiarized Sterne. Hewett-Thayer details a controversy involving Robert Springer's essay 'Ist Goethe ein Plagiarius Lorenz Sternes?' and traces the publication history of maxims in Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Wanderjahre and posthumous works. He identifies twenty sentences translated from the Koran, seventeen containing 'direct appreciative criticism of Sterne,' and notes that some quotations were misattributed or inexactly translated. For instance, Sterne's line 'Ich habe mein Elend nicht wie ein weiser Mann benutzt' appears in a letter to John Hall Stevenson, but the German translation 'conveys a different impression from the original English.' This section demonstrates Hewett-Thayer's method of close textual comparison.

Structure and Scholarly Apparatus

The book is organized into eight chapters plus a bibliography and index. Chapter I introduces the theme of German cultural indebtedness. Chapters II–IV trace Sterne's reception chronologically, before and after A Sentimental Journey. Chapter V examines Sterne's influence, Chapter VI his imitators, and Chapter VII opposition to sentimentalism. The excerpts show a scholarly tone, with footnotes citing sources like Eckermann's conversations and Loeper's edition of Goethe's Sprüche in Prosa. The preface acknowledges that the author had planned a continuation on Sterne's influence on Hippel and Jean Paul, but Czerny's work preempted it. The bibliography and index suggest a thorough reference work.

Readers should approach this book as a specialized academic study, not a general biography of Sterne. Hewett-Thayer assumes familiarity with Sterne's works and eighteenth-century German literary figures. The excerpts reveal a meticulous scholar who weighs evidence, corrects errors (as with Springer's oversight), and traces textual transmission. The work is most valuable for those interested in comparative literature, reception history, or the mechanics of literary influence between England and Germany.