Tristram Shandy

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a novel by Laurence Sterne which says very little about the subject's life, since he is born about halfway through the book and not put into breeches till near the end; and which contains a great deal of opinion, not much of it Tristram's. It was published in nine volumes between 1759 and 1767. It amused and delighted many, scandalised some (like Samuel Johnson), and was found incomprehensible by others. It has continued to delight and amuse, or baffle.