With his satirical novel published between 1759 and 1767, Laurence Sterne broke the literary conventions of his time and boldly leaped into the literary modernity with his unconventional chronology, bizarre typography, and anticipation of stream of consciousness. Even the title is meant to confuse the reader: it is not Tristram Shandy who is at the center, but his father Walter and his brother Uncle Toby, who persistently courts the widow Wadman and otherwise reenacts battles as a war veteran. Other significant events include the detailed complications surrounding Tristram's birth, a journey to France and Italy, a comprehensive introduction to fortification construction, (seemingly) philosophical excursions of all kinds, and digressions of almost labyrinthine extent.