Tristram Shandy
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1759-1767
- Form
- Novel
- Language
- English
- Length
- Long · 650 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, GentlemanPenguin Classics, 2003The Florida text with Melvyn New's notes, which the jokes and allusions need.
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A novel in nine volumes published between 1759 and 1767. Tristram sets out to tell his life and opinions but cannot get himself born until volume three, since every fact requires a digression. The book is really about his father Walter, a theorist of names and noses, his gentle Uncle Toby, who refights the siege of Namur in the garden, the Widow Wadman's campaign for Toby, and Tristram's own doomed attempt to catch up with his story. Blank, black and marbled pages interrupt the text.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Tristram Shandy are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
