Tristram Shandy Analysis

Hence, by constantly being addressed and bombarded with an intrusive medium, one fails to become completely submerged in the text, always existing at the surface. This sense of superficiality denies the audience any feeling of genuine engagement with the stories that Tristram is trying to relay, as they are instead forced to pay attention to the manner in which he goes about producing this content, as well as the "multiplicity of forms" that he employs in order to do so (Bolter & Grusin 36). Yet, if the narrator himself is in on the novel's hypermediated style, as we have shown that he is, then what exactly does this suggest about his intentions with the reader? For, it is Tristram that guides us toward the disruptive and extraneous media, and it is Tristram who disassociates us from his own narrative through the use of subversive techniques. Even more, it is Tristram who decides to

With the use of hypermediacy, there is less pressure placed on the development of any sort of "plot," and more attention given to the formal construction of the narrative style. In this way, we may recognize the heterogeneous media environment as Tristram's space to create, and our interaction with it as our way of pushing his creation along. Hence, we must understand that hypermediacy calls for the reader's active participation in the text as they assist Tristram in his writing process. When he states, "now if you will venture to go along with me," the narrator is not simply asking that his reader sit back, relax, and listen to what he has to say, but is rather requesting that they remain by his side as he attempts to relay his story, prepared to interact with the various thoughts, digressions, and opinions that are sure to arise as he explores it (Sterne