How are sentimental feelings and romantic desire connected in A Sentimental Journey?

In Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, sentimental feelings and romantic desire are portrayed as psychologically interdependent. While the protagonist, Yorick, travels with the stated goal of making meaningful human connections, the narrative reveals that his ego and inappropriate erotic impulses frequently complicate these interactions.12

Sterne explores this dynamic by presenting the journey as a "lighthearted comedy of moral sentiments," where the narrator’s pursuit of "sentimental commerce" is constantly challenged by his own internal desires. Rather than separating refined, elevated feelings from physical attraction, the novel suggests that these impulses are inextricably linked within the human experience. Yorick’s adventures serve to highlight how the desire for genuine sympathy is often mediated or disrupted by the complexities of the self, creating a tension between the ideal of pure sentiment and the reality of human passion.213