Name: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Author: Laurence Sterne
ISBN: 9780199532896

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Laurence Sterne

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Author Description

At once endlessly facetious and highly serious, Sterne's great comic novel contains some of the best-known and best-loved characters in English literature--including Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Parson Yorick, and Dr. Slop--and boasts one of the most innovative and whimsical narrative styles in all literature. This revised edition of Sterne's extraordinary novel retains the text based on the first editions of the original nine volumes (with Sterne's later changes), adds two illustrations by William Hogarth, and expands and updates the introduction, bibliography, and notes, to make this the most critically up-to-date edition available. The text of the novel preserves, as far as possible, the appearance of Sterne's idiosyncratic typography and features such as black pages, marbled pages, blank pages, missing chapters and other devices. The introduction sheds light on the novel's innovations and influence and provides a biographical account of the author. Comprehensive notes identify the profusion of references and reveal previously overlooked sources. The book will appear in time for the 250th anniversary of the publication of first two volumes.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Menrva's Summary

THE PULSE

The protagonist, Tristram Shandy, attempts to write his autobiography but finds himself perpetually distracted by the complex, digressive history of his own family. Tristram struggles to establish a coherent narrative, constantly interrupted by his own associative memory and the eccentricities of his relatives, including his father Walter and his uncle Toby. The world is defined by the limitations of human communication and the absurdity of 18th-century intellectual pursuits. The narrative framework is famously non-linear, utilizing a stream-of-consciousness style that prioritizes the process of storytelling over the actual events of the narrator's life.

INSIDE THE PAGES

Non-linear narrative structure that frequently abandons chronology.
Use of typographical experiments including black, marbled, and blank pages.
Frequent meta-fictional commentary on the act of writing.
Extensive use of digressions that delay the central plot.
Satirical treatment of 18th-century philosophical and medical theories.
Inclusion of missing chapters and erratic pagination.
Character-driven humor focusing on the idiosyncratic habits of the Shandy family.
Integration of visual elements and unconventional formatting to disrupt the reading experience.

THE COLLECTIVE ECHO

Readers and critics frequently describe this work as a foundational text for experimental literature due to its playful subversion of traditional novelistic form. Discussion often centers on the balance between the author's intellectual satire and the genuine affection displayed toward his eccentric cast of characters. Many highlight the effectiveness of the digressive pacing, which forces the reader to engage with the narrator's erratic thought process rather than a standard plot. The atmosphere is consistently noted for its wit and its ability to challenge the reader's expectations of what a narrative can accomplish. Scholars continue to examine how the text's unique typography and structural gaps influence the interpretation of the narrator's reliability.

Page Count:
640

Publication Date:
2009-01-01

Publisher:
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

ISBN-10:
0199532893

ISBN-13:
9780199532896

Fiction

Humor

Satire

Pregnancy fiction

18th century

Experimental

classic