The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman Laurence Sterne 9781542670111 Books
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Ostensibly Tristram's narration of his life story, one of the central jokes of the novel is that the main character cannot explain anything simply without making explanatory diversions to add context and colour to his tale, to the extent that we do not even reach Tristram's own birth until Volume III. Most of the action is concerned with domestic upsets or comic misunderstandings, which find humour in the opposing temperaments. In between such events, Tristram as narrator finds himself discoursing at length on sexual practices, insults, the influence of one's name, noses, as well as explorations of obstetrics, siege warfare and philosophy, as he struggles to marshall his material and finish the story of his life. there was no such thing as a midwife, of any kind or degree, to be got at, let the case have been never so urgent, within less than six or seven long miles riding; which said seven long miles in dark nights and dismal roads, the country thereabouts being nothing but a deep clay, was almost equal to fourteen; and that in effect was sometimes next to having no midwife at all; it came into her head, that it would be doing as seasonable a kindness to the whole parish, as to the poor creature herself, to get her a little instructed in some of the plain principles of the business, in order to set her up in it. As no woman thereabouts was better qualified to execute the plan she had formed than herself, the gentlewoman very charitably undertook it; and having great influence over the female part of the parish, she found no difficulty in effecting it to the utmost of her wishes.
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman Laurence Sterne 9781542670111 Books
this three volume original printing of the florida edition of "Tristram Shandy" is considered the definitive text. if the price doesn't appeal and your interest in the book is casual, you can find the text as a penguin paperback.this is one among the most revolutionary works of fiction ever written. it is still, today, an enormously innovative book. as a story it is mere "cock and bull" -- it says so in the last sentence -- but as writing it is over the top anarchic. if there exists any rule of fiction, or of rhetoric, or of writing, or of reader expectations, or chronology or description, then sterne goes out of his way to violate, disappoint, parody, misuse or flout it. i had to read over a quarter of the book before i realized that the writer was much more intelligent than i was giving him credit for. initially there is the confusing distance of language and historical references and patron dedications and such that makes you wonder, "is that supposed to be funny?", but i stopped sneezing at the book when i realized the author was continually throwing pepper in my face, and laughing while doing so.
there is a precedent for TS in the gargantuan humor of rabelais, and in the rabelaisian method of distorting narrative consistency and scale; toby's military models might easily be the work of a giant. and there's a transparent tribute to cervantes in the character of dr. slop, riding around on a small horse like sancho panza on his mule.
but a huge amount of the content of the book is in the orthography of font faces and dashes and rows of asterisks, blank pages or marbled pages or entirely black pages, squiggly lines and chapters one sentence long. the work was originally published as eight volumes with separate chapter numbering in each; it has typically been republished with modernized spelling and punctuation, loosely reproduced orthography, with chapters numbered continuously. all this brings into focus that a lot of sterne's innovations are technical, and he was a scrupulous proofreader of every first edition.
the florida edition restores all of that, or claims to, and my only complaint about the volume 3 of notes is that it came in a different binding, a uniform coarse blue cloth rather than leather spine and decorative hard cover. i've accepted it as a happenstance example of life's whimsical anarchy, mr. sterne would understand.
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The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy Gentleman Laurence Sterne 9781542670111 Books Reviews
This is the third time in 55 years that I've read Tristram Shandy and it gets better every time. This edition was best of all because it has the extensive notes in the back explaining the humor in many cases. Jokes in 1760 sometimes don't go over so well in 2016. The notes are essential and made me appreciate Laurence Sterne all the more.
This is perhaps the oddest book ever written with the author jumping in & out of the story. Lines like "Both of our characters have fallen asleep, which is good because it gives me time to discuss my uncle's fascination with fortifications."
Thomas Jefferson's favorite book. Very quirky, very funny.
Can't praise this book enough! It's packed with delicious phrases, 20-dollar words and plenty of humor. Written in the 1700s, it was thought of by many critics, decades later, as roughly, the first novel. A delightful read, but you won't do it in a day!
One of very favorite novels. Rather dense prose common to the era. One of the funniest pieces of writing I have ever read. This book is definitely not for everyone. The style of writing and the plot are very different from modern novels. Browse through the first page or two before buying, as that gives you an idea of what you will be reading, and see if it fits your taste.
Great book. Early precursor to modern lit, even post-modern with its wry tone, author intrusion, apparent wandering mind/free-range consciousness. All good fun. Actually haven't finished it yet, and the tone and other aspects may change--one of the delightful uncertainties for me--but I'm having a great time getting there.
Difficult. Rewarding.
Serious. Hilarious.
Wise. Faux-wise.
Scholarly. Mock-scholarly.
Observant. Absurdly, obsessively observant.
Sharp characterizations. Ridiculous characters.
Devout. Bawdy.
Endearing. Frustrating.
Genius. Barking mad.
Narratively incoherent. Stream-of-consciousness associative.
Consistently provincial. Profoundly universal.
Mired in the 18th century. Harbinger of 20th century literary Modernism.
Baffling. Brilliant
Not for every taste. For my taste.
And while I'm at it, let me give a shout-out for the out-of-print Norton critical edition, which provides many helps, essay avenues of understanding, and a clever chapter summary/table of contents. For so many years - since reading Moby Dick in grad school with the help of a Norton critical - this publication line has been my go-to for great texts useful annotations, contemporary reviews, later scholarly articles, and more.
And also let me give a shout-out to Anton Lesser, who narrated the complete novel for Naxos. I have never, ever experienced an audiobook as masterfully produced and narrated as Naxos' Tristram Shandy. No, it is simply not a book one can listen to and fully comprehend as heard. But one might read while listening, or listen while reading, with - if you have the riight software - the narration sped up closer to one's own reading speed, and experience the full majesty of Lesser's absolute preparation, with Latin, Greek, French, and German - as well as regional English - beautifully and humorously intoned, character voices carefully differentiated, tone and mood captured, etc. Or, as I do, go for a walk and listen as you walk, and afterward slip into a comfy chair, crack the novel open, and continue from where you left off, or backtrack if necessary to sort out the characters. In any event, and particularly for devotees of audio books, do find Anton Lesser's note-perfect reading, a veritable radio serial, perhaps the last book you'd expect anyone to attempt single-handedly, with My Father, My Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Parson Yorick, Doctor Slop, Widow Wadman, and all the rest of the supporting characters beautifully, consistently interpreted. Lesser is, in a galaxy of fine narrators, the greatest I've heard an absolutely peerless voice actor in a most demanding work.
this three volume original printing of the florida edition of "Tristram Shandy" is considered the definitive text. if the price doesn't appeal and your interest in the book is casual, you can find the text as a penguin paperback.
this is one among the most revolutionary works of fiction ever written. it is still, today, an enormously innovative book. as a story it is mere "cock and bull" -- it says so in the last sentence -- but as writing it is over the top anarchic. if there exists any rule of fiction, or of rhetoric, or of writing, or of reader expectations, or chronology or description, then sterne goes out of his way to violate, disappoint, parody, misuse or flout it. i had to read over a quarter of the book before i realized that the writer was much more intelligent than i was giving him credit for. initially there is the confusing distance of language and historical references and patron dedications and such that makes you wonder, "is that supposed to be funny?", but i stopped sneezing at the book when i realized the author was continually throwing pepper in my face, and laughing while doing so.
there is a precedent for TS in the gargantuan humor of rabelais, and in the rabelaisian method of distorting narrative consistency and scale; toby's military models might easily be the work of a giant. and there's a transparent tribute to cervantes in the character of dr. slop, riding around on a small horse like sancho panza on his mule.
but a huge amount of the content of the book is in the orthography of font faces and dashes and rows of asterisks, blank pages or marbled pages or entirely black pages, squiggly lines and chapters one sentence long. the work was originally published as eight volumes with separate chapter numbering in each; it has typically been republished with modernized spelling and punctuation, loosely reproduced orthography, with chapters numbered continuously. all this brings into focus that a lot of sterne's innovations are technical, and he was a scrupulous proofreader of every first edition.
the florida edition restores all of that, or claims to, and my only complaint about the volume 3 of notes is that it came in a different binding, a uniform coarse blue cloth rather than leather spine and decorative hard cover. i've accepted it as a happenstance example of life's whimsical anarchy, mr. sterne would understand.
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