Sterne

Within the resolutely tangled strands of "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" is the life, from conception, of a gentleman cursed at birth with the name Tristram. Though everything occurs between parlour and garden, Tristram's excitable father, bewildered mother, and Uncle Toby provide ample opportunity for the digressions and madcap events that structure this seminal novel.