Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Laurence Sterne travel to France in 1762?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Laurence Sterne
Novelist Laurence Sterne, detail of an oil painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1760; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Laurence Sterne traveled to France in 1762 primarily for health reasons. After suffering from severe lung hemorrhages and nearly dying, he fled the damp climate of England in search of a more favorable environment, a journey he later described as a flight from death. This experience abroad provided him with significant material for his final novel, A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy.1