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Great-Aunt Dinah
Bobby is Walter and Elizabeth Shandy’s eldest son and Tristram’s only brother. He dies shortly after Tristram’s birth. Tristram says little about Bobby’s character, noting only that Bobby was thoroughly lacking in wit, which Walter believes was due to his having been born head-first. Bobby’s lack of intelligence motivates Walter to focus on the birth, name, and education of his second son, and this escalates once Bobby dies and Tristram becomes Walter’s only heir.
Bobby Quotes in Tristram Shandy
The Tristram Shandy quotes below are all either spoken by Bobby or refer to Bobby . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 5: Chapters 1-7
Quotes
When Agrippina was told of her son’s death, Tacitus informs us, that not being able to moderate the violence of her passions, she abruptly broke off her work—My father stuck his compasses into Nevers, but so much the fast.—What contrarieties! his, indeed, was a matter of calculation—Agrippina’s must have been quite a different affair; who else could pretend to reason from history?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
—My young master in London is dead! said Obadiah.—
—A green sattin night-gown of my mother’s, which had been twice scoured, was the first idea which Obadiah’s exclamation brought into Susannah’s head.—Well might Locke write a chapter upon the imperfections of words.—Then, quoth Susannah, we must all go into mourning.—But note a second time: the word mourning, notwithstanding Susannah made use of it herself—failed also of doing its office; it excited not one single idea, tinged either with grey or black,—all was green.—The green sattin night-gown hung there still.
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Bobby Quotes in Tristram Shandy
The Tristram Shandy quotes below are all either spoken by Bobby or refer to Bobby . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 5: Chapters 1-7
Quotes
When Agrippina was told of her son’s death, Tacitus informs us, that not being able to moderate the violence of her passions, she abruptly broke off her work—My father stuck his compasses into Nevers, but so much the fast.—What contrarieties! his, indeed, was a matter of calculation—Agrippina’s must have been quite a different affair; who else could pretend to reason from history?
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
—My young master in London is dead! said Obadiah.—
—A green sattin night-gown of my mother’s, which had been twice scoured, was the first idea which Obadiah’s exclamation brought into Susannah’s head.—Well might Locke write a chapter upon the imperfections of words.—Then, quoth Susannah, we must all go into mourning.—But note a second time: the word mourning, notwithstanding Susannah made use of it herself—failed also of doing its office; it excited not one single idea, tinged either with grey or black,—all was green.—The green sattin night-gown hung there still.
