Endlessly digressive, boundlessly imaginative and unmatched in its absurd and timeless wit, Laurence Sterne'sThe Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemanis edited with an introduction by Melvin New and Joan New, and includes a critical essay by Christopher Ricks in Penguin Classics.

Laurence Sterne's great masterpiece of bawdy humour and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it, with a rich metafictional narrative that might classify it as the first 'postmodern' novel. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate 'hero' Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction,Tristram Shandyis also a wry demonstration of its limitations.

The text and notes of this volume are based on the acclaimed Florida Edition, with a critical introduction by Melvyn New and Christopher Ricks's introductory essay from the first Penguin Classics edition.

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) graduated from Cambridge in 1737 and took holy orders, becoming a prebend in York Cathedral. His masterpiece,The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemanmade him a celebrity but ill-health necessitated recuperative travel andA Sentimental Journeygrew out of a seven-month trip through France and Italy.

If you enjoyedThe Life and Opinions ofTristram Shandy, you might like Henry Fielding'sTom Jones, also available in Penguin Classics.

'The excellent FloridaTristram Shandy... will be the definitive edition'
Studies in English Literature

'The book that I would never tire of ... Sterne was about 250 years ahead of his time'
Roy Porter, author ofEnlightenment: Britain And The Creation Of The Modern World