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| Original Title: | The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman |
| ISBN: | 0141439777 (ISBN13: 9780141439778) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Tristram Shandy, Uncle Toby, Trim, Yorick, Mr. Shandy, Mrs. Shandy |
Laurence Sterne
Paperback | Pages: 735 pages Rating: 3.74 | 18594 Users | 1184 Reviews
Chronicle Toward Books The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
No one description will fit this strange, eccentric, endlessly complex masterpiece. It is a fiction about fiction-writing in which the invented world is as much infused with wit and genius as the theme of inventing it. It is a joyful celebration of the infinite possibilities of the art of fiction, and a wry demonstration of its limitations. This Penguin Classic contains Christopher Ricks's introductory essay, itself a classic of English literary criticism, together with a new introduction on the recent critical history and influence of Tristram Shandy by Melvyn New. The text and notes are based on the acclaimed Florida Edition, making the scholarship of the Florida editors readily available for the first time.
Details About Books The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
| Title | : | The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman |
| Author | : | Laurence Sterne |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 735 pages |
| Published | : | 2003 by Penguin Classics (first published 1760) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Literature. 18th Century. Humor. Novels. European Literature. British Literature |
Rating About Books The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Ratings: 3.74 From 18594 Users | 1184 ReviewsDiscuss About Books The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
Before I began this book------Wait a moment, dont climb on your hobby-horse, or rather, dont pounce on your keyboard to tell me that I didnt actually begin this book, that it was Laurence Sterne who began this book more than two hundred and fifty years ago, long before I was even a * in my motherss eye or an answering * in my fathers------So, before I began reading this book, like many amongst you, I had preconceived ideas---Yes, it is worth paying attention to the wording here because the Life- A glorious comedy of errors,- A story on storytellers and storytelling,- A riot of authorial asides, silly interruptions and hilarious direct adresses to you reader,- A portrait of the writer as an outstanding conversationalist :)Soundtrack : Lillibullero - Barry Lyndon OST
'It is not things themselves, but opinions concerning things, which disturb men'.(From the title page of Tristram Shandy written in ancient Greek and translated by the author in his Notes. The motto is by Epictetus.)
The name of this review in its saved document is Review Tristram Shandy NEEDS A FULLER REVIEW. Hence this fuller review, dashed off in a few minutes, or tens or twenties or thirties of minutes. Which of course reminds us, as Montaigne once wrote, The hour of parleying is dangerous. But given that truth, what am I to say about my own parleying with Sterne, if it goes on beyond an hour? or achieves its end in less than an hour? By whom would this danger be faced? By I the writer? Or by you the
Before I start my review of this delightful classic, I have to tell you a short anecdote from my teaching life. But dont worry, it is not really a digression at all, as it is leading directly to the essence of this novel. It actually has more relevance for Tristram Shandy than many of the anecdotes Tristram himself tells in his story. If it is a digression, (which I formally dispute, partly because you cant really digress before you have begun, and partly because it is crucial for the reviews
Sterne invented a certain kind of modernity--the sexually allusive, apparently offhand, discontinuous, immediate....His prose, often written under the burden of tuberculosis, and even the despair of his wife, achieves an appearance that is genial and carefree. Uncle Toby is one of the great characters in English fiction. Sterne confesses that the more he writes, the further behind in the story he gets. A wonderful concept, and true for an expansive mind like his. One can think of others for
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