The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph presents a Greek maxim from Epictetus, stating that it is not events themselves that disturb people, but their judgments about those events.
What happens
The epigraph presents a Greek maxim from Epictetus, stating that it is not events themselves that disturb people, but their judgments about those events.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage is the dramatic climax because it depicts the precise moment the corporal’s long-standing resista…
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Knowledge and Philosophy
The epigraph introduces a Stoic philosophical principle about perception and judgment, setting a thematic foundation for the novel's exploration of how characters interpret events.
Key passages
“Ταράσσει τοὺς Ἀνθρώπους οὐ τὰ Πράγματα, Ἀλλὰ τὰ περὶ τῶν Πραγμάτων Δόγματα.”
It is not events that disturb people, but their opinions about those events.
This is a direct quotation from Epictetus's Enchiridion, Chapter 5, emphasizing the Stoic distinction between objective events and subjective judgments.
