That was a worrying read, because I really struggled to digest it. For a long time now, I would have answered the question 'what is your favourite novel?' with the answer 'Tristram Shandy', and would then have pontificated about its wonderful joie de vivre, its glorification in life's thwarted plans and its humanity and its revelling in a cosmic sense of humour. However having struggled so much with this, I wonder if actually it is just Michael Winterbottom's wonderful film 'A Cock and Bull Story' inspired by Tristram Shandy, which apparently has been a filter in explaining Tristram Shandy to me in noddy terms. There's something very shandyesque about having a favourite book you haven't understood. I was listening to a podcast about Tristram Shandy, which they insisted on calling 'Tristam Shandy' throughout, and they suggested reading one of the nine volumes each year as a treat as the best way to read it. Maybe I can start doing it as a birthday treat each year
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