Hafen Slawkenbergius is a fictional writer referenced in

Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768), was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric who wrote the novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' and ''A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy'', published ...

's novel ''

Tristram Shandy Tristram may refer to: Literature * the title character of ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'', a novel by Laurence Sterne * the title character of ''Tristram of Lyonesse'', an epic poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne *"Tristra ...

''. Slawkenbergius was "distinguished by the length of his nose, and a great authority on the subject of noses". Sterne gives few biographical details relating to Slawkenbergius, but states that he was German, and that he had died over 90 years prior to the writing and publication (in 1761) of the books of ''Tristram Shandy'' in which he appears — i.e., ''circa'' 1670, although Slawkenbergius' tale includes a reference to the French annexation of Strasbourg in 1681. Slawkenbergius is primarily known for his scholarly writings in

Neo-Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

, particularly his lengthy monograph ''De Nasis'' ("On Noses"), purporting to explain different types of noses and their corresponding significance to human character. The second book of ''De Nasis'' is said to be filled with a large number of short stories illustrative of Slawkenbergius' characterizations of noses. Only one of these stories is reproduced in ''Tristram Shandy'', partially in its (supposedly) original Latin, but primarily in English "translation" (a comparison of the Latin and English shows the English "translation" to be rather free; or rather, the Latin is to be regarded as a partial condensation and simplification of the English). Slawkenbergius is first referred to in Vol. III Ch. XXXV. Vol. IV opens with the relatively lengthy "Slawkenbergius's Tale". This tale recounts the journey of a courteous gentleman, Diego, who was endowed with a massive nose. Diego attempts to pass inconspicuously through Strassburg (Ger.; Fr., Strasbourg) on his way from the "Promontory of Noses", but the sight of his giant nose sends the Strassburgers, especially the nuns, into a restless frenzy. The tale relays the results of the upset in Strassburg and the travels of Diego to his admirer Julia. Sterne's style of Slawkenbergius's Tale mimics that of

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

' ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

''. Slawkenbergius' name may be derived from colloquial German ("

chamber pot A chamber pot is a portable toilet, meant for nocturnal use in the bedroom. It was common in many cultures before the advent of indoor plumbing and flushing toilets. Names and etymology "Chamber" is an older term for bedroom. The chamber pot ...

") and ("

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutri ...

heap"),Anderson in Sterne 1980
p.163, fn.9
/ref> the latter Latinized as was common among early modern scholars.

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Characters in British novels of the 18th century Literary characters introduced in 1759 Fictional writers Nose Fictional German people in literature {{novel-char-stub