ADAPTING TRISTRAM SHANDY by Adria Young Submitted in ...

the shape and size of the penis, creating a tripartite relationship between cock, nose, and
brain. And while Tristram “declares” that his journey of the “nose” is on “the clean
road,” by which he means, “nothing more, or less” by it (Sterne 3.31), Walter’s obsession
with noses as representative of character, Tristram’s subsequent nose-crushing by Dr.
Slop’s forceps, and noses as one of the primary subjects of Volume III all betray
Tristram’s promise. The correlation between noses and penises is evidenced by story
itself: Tristram’s unfortunate nose accident at birth explains his later circumcision by
window sash, since the manner of conception (“Have you not forgot to wind up the
clock!?”), birth, and the “homunculus” determine the development of the individual. 70 It
can also be argued that Uncle Toby’s simplicity is the result of his groin injury at Namur.
Figure 12: The not-so-subtle visual bawdiness.
While Rowson illustrates some moments of the narrative that relate to Tristram’s
discussion of his conception, and other penis-related tales, Rowson incorporates penile
icons in place of penile text. In one scene, for instance, Rowson illustrates Elizabeth
Shandy imagining a penis-cum-grandfather clock that ejaculates cogs and nuts just as
Walter himself is about to ejaculate, used to signify what is on Elizabeth’s mind at the
time of Tristram’s conception, which consequently “scattered and dispersed the animal
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