TMR 32.1: “Masterstroke of Digressive Skill” [Tristram Shandy]

Kaija (“Medically Confirmed Sleepyhead,” her words) was asleep for the recording of this, so you only get Chad and Brian this week. They introduce Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by going over Volume I. There’s some biographical info at the start, then they talk about shaggy dog stories and digressions, “nominative determinism,” some interesting ideas from the 1700s about sperm and conception, the em-dash problem in the Penguin Classic edition, and how to handle all the footnotes without destroying the flow of reading.They also discuss the other Substack currently reading Tristram Shandy, and the discussion group they’re having on the first and third Fridays of every month—which is open to the public both in person at the CUNY Graduate Center and on Zoom. (Subscribe for free to get the Zoom link.)This week’s music is “Fingers and Thumbs” by Tristram Shandy.Next week’s episode will cover Volume II. If you want to follow along, the complete schedule can be found here.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. If you haven’t already, subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit threepercentproblem.substack.com