Tristram Shandy: Books 1-3

Discussion for books 1-3 of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.

Thanks for setting this up!

Not a problem, sorry it took longer than it should have. :)

I probably won't participate in the Tristram Shandy read, I've attempted it once before and failed. Yes, that probably should mean I should try again! But I have too many other "must" reads piling up at the moment. Hoping to join in for Jude the Obscure though, I've had a copy of that for yonks but never got around to it.

I'm starting this as soon as I finish Sodom and Gomorrah, which hopefully should be this weekend. Damn these long books!

I just barely started it this morning and, so far, I am liking it.

I'm really enjoying it - much funnier than I expected. I love all the endless digressions, and the "oh wait, let me back up, here is what happened first" parts.

I just noticed that my copy is set up a little differently - many (many, many, many) chapters organized into volumes 1, 2, and 3. Where does "Book 3" end? Is it with Tristram finally being born, and getting his nose smushed, and a lengthy digression about noses?

I'm just going to assume that Book 3 ends where my Volume 1 ends. This book is not at all what I expected - I had heard that it was difficult, and confusing, and boring, so I was expecting to be bored and miserable. So not true! This book, so far, is completely insane, but in the best of all possible ways. I love that in a book called The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, the title character isn't even born until a third of the way through the book.

My favorite character so far is Uncle Toby, although I don't really understand all the siege warfare bits.

Also, if anyone around here has read the Barchester books, the constant repetition of the servant's name "Obadiah" and the doctor's name "Dr. Slop" is reminding me of the delightfully obnoxious Obadiah Slope from Barchester Towers, and I'm vaguely remembering Trollope talking about these characters when he introduces Slope. If the book was closer, I'd look it up.

I have read Books 1 & 2 so far. I was thinking of it as a sort of nonsense stream of consciousness. I still haven't gotten to the birth yet. How on earth was this made into a movie?

I'm still in Book 1. I'm reading it a little at a time. Though I like rambling myself, it helps when someone gets to the point once in a while.

How on earth was this made into a movie?

I haven't read the book, but I do own the movie. It's great fun. The story is actually about two actors who are making a movie of Tristram Shandy, so parts of it are the story and parts of it are the actors. It sort of falls apart in the second-half, and some of that is on purpose. I think part of their point is that it's supposed to be an impossible book to turn into a film. I often start watching it late at night and fall asleep, so I haven't seen the end as much as I've seen the beginning.

". . . it's supposed to be an impossible book to turn into a film."

That is what I was thinking. :) I will have to check the movie out sometime. Thanks for the info.

I just finished the third book and this is what I thought was the funniest line:

I now enter directly upon the point.

I don't really ever see that happening in this book. I wonder how much of his life we will actually learn about. Such a long discussion of noses!

>11 Nickelini:

Honestly, the birthing scene (among others) was so well-done, I wished they had just filmed the whole thing and lost the movie about making a movie part. Incidently, I recently finished Sentimental Journey. Highly recommend if you enjoy Tristram.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlhzuZSqtG4&feature=related