The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Book 7, Chapter 27 Summary

  • All you need to know about Fontainebleu, Tristram says, is that there's a big old castle there. Sens: the archbishop lives there. Joigny: the less said, the better. Auxerre: now there's something to write home about.
  • At this point, we learn that it's a family vacation of the worst kind—Mr. Shandy, Toby, Trim, and Obadiah, as well as a lot of the servants, have come along on the journey (his mother's at home knitting a pair of breeches, stubborn lady that she is).
  • Mr. Shandy has lots of opinions on his journey, and they are, of course, basically the opposite of what anyone else has to say. He had a particularly interesting experience at Auxerre.
  • He and Toby set out to visit the abbey of Saint Germain to see the bodies. A guide leads them into the tomb and gives them the history of some of the mummies. Mr. Shandy is fascinated by the stories of the saints, and decides to stay in Auxerre a little longer.