“By the imagination we place ourselves in his situation, we conceive ourselves enduring all the same torments, we enter as it were into his body, and become in some measure the same person with him, and thence form some idea of his sensations, and even feel something which, though weaker in degree, is not altogether unlike them” (Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments)

think this quotation is meaningful because it describes sympathy as a form of imagination protection : we don’t actually feel another’s pain to its exact level because we use our imagination to “enter” their situation and simulate their feelings. This process is central to Yorick’s experiences throughout A Sentimental Journey. For example, when Yorick encounters Maria, he is moved by her sorrow, imagines her history, and comes up with his own explanation for her silence. Additionally, Yorick’s encounters with beggars, servants, and strangers show him feeling sympathy for others, and he deems himself a sentimental man because of his emotional response.

I am looking to explore how A Sentimental Journey questions the limits of emotional identification and how ethics come into play when imagining others’ emotions.