Laurence Sterne 
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman 

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, also known as Tristram Shandy, is a novel by Laurence Sterne. It was published in nine volumes, the first two appearing in 1759, and seven others following over the next seven years. It purports to be a biography of the eponymous character. Tristram Shandy set the stage for experimental literature. It was perhaps the first stream-of-consciousness narrative – a style later adopted by James Joyce. Sterne’s exploration of what constitutes a novel, and of the relationship between author and reader had a big influence on writers like Virginia Woolf.