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"The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" by Laurence Sterne is a novel written in the early 18th century. This unconventional work offers a humorous and often digressive narrative that revolves around the life and thoughts of the protagonist, Tristram Shandy, as he reflects on the events leading up to his birth and his experiences thereafter. The novel challenges traditional storytelling methods, intertwining philosophical musings with comedic anecdotes that detail Tristram's opinions and his family's eccentricities. At the start of the novel, Tristram reflects on the importance of his conception, expressing wishful thoughts about how better planning from his parents could have altered his life significantly. He critiques the interruptions caused by mundane concerns, such as the winding of a clock, which he humorously suggests disrupted the alignment of his "animal spirits" during conception.
