The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a nine-volume novel published between 1759 and 1767 by English novelist Laurence Sterne. The novel is considered by many scholars as an early forerunner of postmodern literature due to its metafictional commentary on its own narrative. Contemporary critics did not view the novel favorably, though its humor and sentimentalism helped it find an audience. The novel has been adapted for radio and opera and as a graphic novel. A film version, titled A Cock and Bull Story, is a metafictional film about the difficulty of adapting Tristram Shandy for the screen.

This guide refers to the 1998 Oxford University Press edition.

Plot Summary

Rather than beginning at birth or childhood, narrator Tristram Shandy begins his life story at the moment of his conception. In the first few chapters, Tristram introduces the audience to the characters who will be pivotal figures during his birth and life. His father, Walter Shandy, is overbearing and preoccupied with philosophical and pseudo-scientific hypotheses, most notably with the importance of names and noses. His mother, Elizabeth Shandy, is the exact opposite of Walter in temperament.