The “Empfindsame Reise von Oldenburg nach Bremen,”[51] the author of which was a Hanoverian army officer, H. J. C. Hedemann, is characterized by Ebeling as emphatically not inspired by Sterne.[52] Although it is not a sentimental journey, as Schummel and Jacobi and Bock conceived it, and is thus not an example of the earliest period of imitation, and although it contains no passages of teary sentimentality in attitude toward man and beast, one must hesitate in denying all connection with Sterne’s manner. It would seem as if, having outgrown the earlier Yorick, awakened from dubious, fine-spun dreams of human brotherhood, perhaps by the rude clatter of the French revolution, certain would-be men of letters turned to Yorick again and saw, as through a glass darkly, that other element of his nature, and tried in lumbering, Teutonic way to adopt his whimsicality, shorn now of sentimentalism, and to build success for their wares on remembrance of a defaced idol. This view of later sentimental journeying is practically acknowledged at any rate in a contemporary review, the Allgemeine Litteratur-Zeitung for August 22, 1796, which remarks: “A sentimental voyage ist ein Quodlibet, wo einige bekannte Sachen und Namen gezwungenen Wiz und matten Scherz heben sollen.”[53]
Hedemann’s book is conspicuous in its effort to be whimsical and is openly satirical in regard to the sentimentalism of former travelers. His endeavor is markedly in Sterne’s manner in his attitude toward the writing of the book, his conversation about the difficulty of managing the material, his discussion with himself and the reader about the various parts of the book. Quite in Sterne’s fashion, and to be associated with Sterne’s frequent promises of chapters, and statements concerning embarrassment of material, is conceived his determination “to mention some things beforehand about which I don’t know anything to say,” and his rather humorous enumeration of them. The author satirizes the real sentimental traveler of Sterne’s earlier imitators in the following passage (second chapter):
“It really must be a great misfortune, an exceedingly vexatious case, if no sentimental scenes occur to a sentimental traveler, but this is surely not the case; only the subjects, which offer themselves must be managed with strict economy. If one leaps over the most interesting events entirely, one is in danger, indeed, of losing everything, at least of not filling many pages.”
Likewise in the following account of a sentimental adventure, the satirical purpose is evident. He has not gone far on his journey when he is met by a troop of children; with unsentimental coldness he determines that there is a “Schlagbaum” in the way. After the children have opened the barrier, he debates with himself to which child to give his little coin, concludes, as a “sentimental traveler,” to give it to the other sex, then there is nothing left to do but to follow his instinct. He reflects long with himself whether he was right in so doing,—all of which is a deliberate jest at the hesitation with reference to trivial acts, the self-examination with regard to the minutiae of past conduct, which was copied by Sterne’s imitators from numerous instances in the works of Yorick. Satirical also is his vision in Chapter VII, in which he beholds the temple of stupidity where lofty stupidity sits on a paper throne; and of particular significance here is the explanation that the whole company who do “erhabene Dummheit” honor formerly lived in cities of the kingdom, but “now they are on journeys.” Further examples of a humorous manner akin to Sterne are: his statement that it would be a “great error” to write an account of a journey without weaving in an anecdote of a prince, his claim that he has fulfilled all duties of such a traveler save to fall in love, his resolve to accomplish it, and his formal declaration: “I, the undersigned, do vow and make promise to be in love before twenty-four hours are past.” The story with which his volume closes, “Das Ständchen,” is rather entertaining and is told graphically, easily, without whim or satire, yet not without a Sternian double entendre.[54]
Another work in which sentimentalism has dwindled away to a grinning shade, and a certain irresponsible, light-hearted attitude is the sole remaining connection with the great progenitor, is probably the “Empfindsame Reise nach Schilda” (Leipzig, 1793), by Andreas Geo. Fr. von Rabenau, which is reviewed in the Allgemeine Litteratur-Zeitung (1794, I, p. 416) as a free revision of an old popular tale, “Das lustige und lächerliche Lalenburg.” The book is evidently without sentimental tinge, is a merry combination of wit and joke combined with caricature and half-serious tilting against unimportant literary celebrities.[55]
Certain miscellaneous works, which are more or less obviously connected with Sterne may be grouped together here.
To the first outburst of Sterne enthusiasm belongs an anonymous product, “Zween Tage eines Schwindsüchtigen, etwas Empfindsames,” von L. . . . (Hamburg, 1772), yet the editor admits that the sentiment is “not entirely like Yorick’s,” and the Altonaer Reichs-Postreuter (July 2, 1772) adds that “not at all like Yorick’s” would have been nearer the truth. This book is mentioned by Hillebrand with implication that it is the extreme example of the absurd sentimental tendency, probably judging merely from the title,[56] for the book is doubtless merely thoughtful, contemplative, with a minimum of overwrought feeling.
According to the Frankfurter Gelehrte Anzeigen (1775, pp. 592–3), another product of the earlier seventies, the “Leben und Schicksale des Martin Dickius,” by Johann Moritz Schwager, is in many places a clever imitation of Sterne,[57] although the author claims, like Wezel in “Tobias Knaut,” not to have read Shandy until after the book was written. Surely the digression on noses which the author allows himself is suspicious.
Blankenburg, the author of the treatise on the novel to which reference has been made, was regarded by contemporary and subsequent criticism as an imitator of Sterne in his oddly titled novel “Beyträge zur Geschichte des teutschen Reiches und teutscher Sitten,”[58] although the general tenor of his essay, in reasonableness and balance, seemed to promise a more independent, a more competent and felicitous performance. Kurz expresses this opinion, which may have been derived from criticisms in the eighteenth century journals. The Frankfurter Gelehrte Anzeigen, July 28, 1775, does not, however, take this view; but seems to be in the novel a genuine exemplification of the author’s theories as previously expressed.[59] The Allgemeine deutsche Bibliothek[60] calls the book didactic, a tract against certain essentially German follies. Merck, in the Teutscher Merkur,[61] says the imitation of Sterne is quite too obvious, though Blankenburg denies it.
Among miscellaneous and anonymous works inspired directly by Sterne, belongs undoubtedly “Die Geschichte meiner Reise nach Pirmont” (1773), the author of which claims that it was written before Yorick was translated or Jacobi published. He says he is not worthy to pack Yorick’s bag or weave Jacobi’s arbor,[62] but the review of the Almanach der deutschen Musen evidently regards it as a product, nevertheless, of Yorick’s impulse. Kuno Ridderhoff in his study of Frau la Roche[63] says that the “Empfindsamkeit” of Rosalie in the first part of “Rosaliens Briefe” is derived from Yorick. The “Leben, Thaten und Meynungen des D. J. Pet. Menadie” (Halle, 1777–1781) is charged by the Allgemeine deutsche Bibliothek with attempt at Shandy-like eccentricity of narrative and love of digression.[64]