&quot;The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy&quot; is a novel published between 1759 and 1767 by English novelist Laurence Sterne. Ostensibly a biography of its fictional eponymous character, the book features many digressions from its plot and is, therefore, viewed by many scholars as an early forerunner of post-modern literature.<br />The novel has more to do with Shandy family members and their foibles and history than it seemingly does with Tristram himself. However, it is through Tristram&#39;s relating the actions, beliefs, and opinions of his family members &mdash; primarily his father, Walter Shandy, and his paternal Uncle Toby &mdash; that the reader gets a clearer picture of Tristram&#39;s character.<br /><br />Though dismissed by contemporary critics, &quot;The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy&quot;&lsquo;s popularity has endured&mdash;initially due to its bawdy humour and later as a major influence on modernist and post-modernist writers such as James Joyce, owing to its highly digressive narrative and absurdity.