The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a classic comedy written by Laurence Sterne and first published in 1767. At once endlessly facetious and highly serious, Sterne's great comic novel contains some of the best-known and best-loved characters in English literature including Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Parson Yorick, and Dr. Slop, and boasts one of the most innovative and whimsical narrative styles in all literature.