Tristram Shandy

Tristram Shandy

by

Laurence Sterne

The Inquisition Term Analysis

The Inquisition was a movement in the Catholic Church seeking to root out heresy by prosecuting, imprisoning, and executing accused heretics and enemies of the Church. The Inquisition began in France in the twelfth century, reached its height in Spain and Portugal during the Renaissance and Counter-Reformation, and was abolished in the early nineteenth century. The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal extensively persecuted Jews, leading them to imprison Trim’s brother Tom for marrying a Jewish man’s widow.
Get the entire Tristram Shandy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tristram Shandy PDF

The Inquisition Term Timeline in Tristram Shandy

The timeline below shows where the term The Inquisition appears in Tristram Shandy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 2: Chapters 16-19
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Language and Comprehension Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
...Dr. Slop suggests that a Catholic writing in such a tone would be sent to the Inquisition Trim becomes very emotional, explaining the story of his brother Tom. Tom moved to Lisbon... (full context)
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Language and Comprehension Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Science, Technology, and the Enlightenment Theme Icon
The sermon turns to the Inquisition , upsetting Trim once again, who becomes convinced that the victim of the Inquisition it... (full context)
Book 9: Chapters 1-5
Truth, Fiction, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
Language and Comprehension Theme Icon
Travel, Space, and Time Theme Icon
Sexuality and Propriety Theme Icon
...married her or had made pork sausages, perhaps he would not be a prisoner of the Inquisition today. Nothing is as important as freedom, Trim argues, twirling his stick to demonstrate. (The... (full context)