오바댜의 저주

The Curse of Obadiah

This paper starts from the assumption that Sterne, being an Anglican priest, has named characters with biblical names in accordance with their roles in Tristram Shandy. The name Obadiah which originated from the prophet in The Old Testament but was unusual in the contemporary English society, is given to one particular male servant while other servants are named with generic names for servants. The book of Obadiah in The Old Testament describes not only Edom’s pride and unbrotherly, cruel treatment of Israel but also Yahweh’s decree against Edom and her resulting humiliation. Interestingly, the relationship between Edom and Israel corresponds to Walter and Toby in the sense that Walter is arrogant and cruel in his attitude toward his brother Toby who is modest and pious. More interestingly, Walter’s servant Obadiah plays crucial roles when Walter, like the prophecy upon Edom, is humiliated and even cursed with sexual impotence of his heir as well as of his own. Sterne has exercised his authorial right as name-giver, using an appropriate name for the servant who is a catalyst for the judgment upon Shandy family.