The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman

<p><em>The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman</em> by Laurence Sterne (published 1759-1767) is a comic experimental novel that constantly digresses from its supposed subject-the life story of Tristram Shandy. Instead of straightforward narration Sterne fills the book with digressions anecdotes wordplay and satirical reflections.</p><p>The novel introduces eccentric characters like Tristram's father Walter obsessed with philosophy and theories of names; his kindly but muddled Uncle Toby who spends his time reenacting military sieges in the garden; and the practical servant Trim. Ironically Tristram himself hardly appears as his story is delayed by constant interruptions mock-philosophical discussions and narrative tricks.</p><p>The book parodies conventional storytelling pokes fun at human folly and explores the impossibility of capturing life in a neat orderly narrative. It is often seen as a playful precursor to modernist and postmodernist fiction.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p>