Satire, Comedy and Tragedy

The first four chapters of the book provide a close reading of the satiric, comic, and tragic action of Laurence Sternes novel in the context of criticism from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Chapter 5 provides a summary of Chapters 14, focusing on Sternes purpose in revising satiric plot structures and in blurring the lines between fiction and autobiography. Chapters 68 then examine Sternes themes from TristramShandythat inform his letters, sermons, and other fiction; Chapter 9 discusses the international reception of TristramShandy and argues for using writing-to-learn strategies to teach Sternes greatest novel to undergraduate and graduate students.