Tristram Shandy

Unrivalled in its ridiculous and timeless wit, boundlessly inventive, and endlessly digressiveWith a rich metafictional narrative that could be considered the first "postmodern" novel, Laurence Sterne's magnificent masterwork of bawdy humour and sophisticated sarcasm defies any attempt to define it. Its gloriously disorganised narrative, which is equal parts novel and digression, weaves together the early years of the unfortunate Tristram Shandy, his father Walter's eccentric philosophy, Uncle Toby's love interests and military preoccupations, and a plethora of other characters, including Dr. Slop, Corporal Trim, and the parson Yorick. Tristram Shandy is both a gleeful celebration of the limitless potential of the literary art and a wry examination of its constraints. Read more