The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman · Chapter
Chapter IX explained
Tristram declares his dedication is a 'virgin' one, never offered to any person, and puts it up for public sale at fifty guineas.
What happens
Tristram declares his dedication is a 'virgin' one, never offered to any person, and puts it up for public sale at fifty guineas. He describes its artistic merits in painterly terms, offers to replace it with a personalized version in the next edition, and finally dedicates the rest of his book to the Moon.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage is the dramatic climax because it depicts the precise moment the corporal’s long-standing resista…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Absurdity of Systems
Tristram satirizes the conventions of literary dedications and the commercial transactions behind them, treating the dedication as a commodity to be measured and sold.
- Obsession and Hobbyhorses
The 'Hobbyhorse' is mentioned as a secondary figure in the dedication's design, linking to the novel's recurring motif of personal obsessions.
Characters to notice
- Tristram Shandy
Narrator and author, offering his dedication for sale and addressing the reader directly.
Key passages
“I solemnly declare to all mankind, that the above dedication was made for no one Prince, Prelate, Pope, or Potentate,—Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, or Baron, of this, or any other Realm in Christendom;⸺nor has it yet been hawked about, or offered publicly or privately, directly or indirectly, to any one person or personage, great or small; but is honestly a true Virgin-Dedication untried on, upon any soul living.”
I swear that this dedication was not written for any specific noble or ruler, and has never been offered to anyone; it is a completely unused dedication.
Tristram emphasizes the novelty and unsold nature of his dedication, setting up his mock auction.
“If therefore there is any one Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, or Baron, in these his Majesty’s dominions, who stands in need of a tight, genteel dedication, and whom the above will suit, (for by the by, unless it suits in some degree, I will not part with it)⸺it is much at his service for fifty guineas;⸺which I am positive is twenty guineas less than it ought to be afforded for, by any man of genius.”
If any nobleman wants a stylish dedication that fits him, he can buy this one for fifty guineas—twenty guineas less than it's worth.
Tristram openly markets his dedication, parodying the commercial side of literary patronage.
“The rest I dedicate to the Moon , who, by the by, of all the Patrons or Matrons I can think of, has most power to set my book a-going, and make the world run mad after it.”
The remainder of my book I dedicate to the Moon, which is the best patron to make my book popular and drive the world crazy for it.
Tristram whimsically dedicates his work to the Moon, invoking a celestial and ironic patron.
