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| is a novel by [[Laurence Sterne]].
| | novel by [[Laurence Sterne]] |
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| == Facts and Literary Techniques ==
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| ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' or alternatively ''Tristram Shandy'' is the title of Laurence Sterne's nine volume novel published between 1759 and 1766. The novel was published in installments of two volumes at a time (volume nine was published separately). The book was an instant hit and made its author famous. It was praised for its entertaining qualities because next to its comic style it contains parodic references and allusions to traditional novels. Literary criticism the book had to face in the eighteenth century focused on the novel’s bawdiness and the open discussion of sexual topics. The intellectual [[Samuel Johnson]] stated with regard to ''Tristram Shandy'': "Nothing odd will do long." (''The Guardian'')
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| Today the novel is regarded as one of the first pieces of modernist literature and it is especially appreciated for its innovative narrative techniques. For example, ''Tristram Shandy''’s structure is different from contemporary novels because it is not orderly or linear like e.g. [[Henry Fielding]]’s ''[[Tom Jones]]''. But what is even more important is that it is seen as the prototype of the stream of consciousness technique later applied by Virginia Woolf (in ''Mrs. Dalloway'') and James Joyce (in ''Ulysses'').
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| By presenting Tristram as the novel’s author there is a more intimate relationship than usual between 'author' and reader.
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| It is often assumed [please give a source of this] that Sterne can be recognised in his protagonist due to parallel developments in Sterne’s life and in the novel. Also, Sterne’s writing process was overshadowed by the deaths of his mother and uncle and his wife’s suicide threats which supposedly softened the satirical tone of the novel.
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| Another unusual technique that Sterne employs is that by combining several stories the supposed main plot (i.e. the life of Tristram Shandy) loses itself in digressions. The plot is also very often neglected for the sake of bringing forth trivial details that become the focus of attention instead. Furthermore, there are other elements like essays, sermons and legal documents that are used and sometimes parodied. A typical ploy used in literary series can be found, too: Sterne uses cliff-hangers towards the end of each volume to maintain the reader's interest and a certain level of suspense.
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| == Content ==
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| The book pretends to be the autobiography of one Tristram Shandy and it tells about the time between 1680 and 1766 in a non-chronological way. This non-chronological nature is alluded to in the sequences about persons and events that take place before the protagonist’s birth but which he nevertheless describes.
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| There are two storylines in the novel. The first, covering volumes one to six, centres on Tristram Shandy’s conception, birth, christening and involuntary circumcision, which are all described as a series of accidents, e.g. when he is given the wrong name – which is turned into a grave matter because his father believes that a person’s name influences their character.
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| The second storyline in volumes seven to nine focuses on Tristram’s Uncle Toby whose experiences is already alluded to in the previous volumes. Serving in the army, Toby is wounded in the groin. While recovering he moves to the country and decides to build a small scale replica of the battle in which he was wounded [which battle would that be?]. He develops an obsession for model making and history and he is only slowed down by the Peace of Utrecht (1713) - which ended the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] – that sets his mind at rest and gives him time for other things i.e. he gets interested in the Widow Wadman and starts an affair with her.
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| == Full Text ==
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| http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1079
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| == Works Cited ==
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| Keep, Christopher, and McLaughlin, Tim and Parmar, Robin. “Tristram Shandy.” ''The Electronic Labyrinth''. 2000. 22 Dec 2009 <http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0259.html>.
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| "Laurence Sterne." ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 22 Dec. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/565796/Laurence-Sterne>.
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| “Laurence Sterne. Biography.” ''The Guardian'' (UK). 22 Jul 2008. 22 Dec 2009 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jun/11/laurencesterne>.
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| “Tristram Shandy.” ''SparkNotes LCC''. 2009. 22 Dec 2009 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tristram/>.
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