The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 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.

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.

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.