The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

An experimental and humorous novel that purports to be the autobiography of its narrator, though the story is famously diverted by endless digressions and philosophical anecdotes. Tristram struggles to recount his own life, famously failing to reach the moment of his birth until the third volume. It is celebrated as a significant precursor to the stream-of-consciousness technique and postmodern literature.