On this day in 1713 Laurence Sterne was born in Ireland. Sometime after his birth (!) he wrote The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. The book was a favorite of Arthur Greeves, the lifelong friend of C. S. Lewis. Greeves encouraged Lewis to read it, but Lewis gave up after ten pages or so. But Arthur kept at him, until finally Lewis read it – to his delight. Lewis described the book quite fittingly as a madman chasing his hat on a windy day.
Tristram Shandy reminds me of Seinfeld : the narrative at times seems to run down disconnected paths, yet those paths later join in marvelous and unpredictable ways. But perhaps what I like most about the book is the juxtaposition of the elegant eighteenth-century English style with eighteenth-century English bawdy. I’ve read the story of Phutatorius and the hot chestnut to many guests, and it has never failed to amaze and tickle them.