The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
by Laurence Sterne (published 1759-1767) is a comic, experimental novel that constantly digresses from its supposed subject-the life story of Tristram Shandy. Instead of straightforward narration, Sterne fills the book with digressions, anecdotes, wordplay, and satirical reflections.
The novel introduces eccentric characters like Tristram's father Walter, obsessed with philosophy and theories of names; his kindly but muddled Uncle Toby, who spends his time reenacting military sieges in the garden; and the practical servant Trim. Ironically, Tristram himself hardly appears, as his story is delayed by constant interruptions, mock-philosophical discussions, and narrative tricks.
The book parodies conventional storytelling, pokes fun at human folly, and explores the impossibility of capturing life in a neat, orderly narrative. It is often seen as a playful precursor to modernist and postmodernist fiction.