Audiobooks by Laurence Sterne

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 1

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Prepare for a novel unlike any other—a playful, witty, and wildly inventive journey through life, thought, and storytelling itself. In The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Laurence Sterne breaks every rule of narrative tradition. Instead of a straightforward tale, readers are swept into digressions, side stories, and humorous reflections that reveal as much about human nature as they do about Tristram’s life. With wit that skewers convention and a style decades ahead of its time, Sterne turns storytelling into both a comedy and an art form. From eccentric family members and absurd misadventures to philosophical musings and laugh-out-loud satire, Tristram Shandy is a dazzling mix of humor and innovation. Its playful use of language, unconventional structure, and fearless originality make it one of the most groundbreaking works in English literature. First published between 1759 and 1767 in nine volumes, this classic remains as bold and entertaining today as when it first shocked—and delighted—eighteenth-century readers."

Laurence Sterne (Author), Digital Voice Marcus G (Narrator)

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The Lock and Key Library: Old-Time English Stories: Classic Mystery and Detective Stories

"Assembled and edited by Julian Hawthorne and first published in 1907, the Old Time English volume of The Lock and Key Library features ten classic mysteries and ghost stories by Charles Dickens, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Thomas de Quincey, Charles Robert Maturin, Laurence Sterne, and William Makepeace Thackeray. The Old Time English volume opens with two classic ghost stories from Charles Dickens: the first takes place in the traditional (and titular) “Haunted House,” while the second follows the haunting of a railroad, of all places. Then you’ll be treated to two stories by Edward Bulwer-Lytton: one a tale of a rationalist investigating a haunted house, and another a tale of the search for the elixir of life itself! Up next is a ghastly story of murder in a small German town from the mind of Thomas de Quincy, followed by a selection from the classic Irish yarn Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin. But not every tale featured here is doom and gloom. In Laurence Stern’s “A Mystery with a Moral,' you’ll be subjected to the eccentric musings of an English parson as he tries to make sense of a mystery that might not even be real. And then in “The Notch in the Axe', William Makepeace Thackeray contemplates the nature of crime and guilt and judgment, reaching some rather Swiftian conclusions himself. Finally, the last two stories, about another murder in a small German town and about a longstanding family curse, respectively, are both written by anonymous writers, as Julian Hawthorne often chose to include in his collections. This volume of The Lock and Key Library is sure to haunt and charm fans of ghost and detective mysteries alike. Full Contents: “The Haunted House” by Charles Dickens “No. 1 Branch Line: The Signal Man” by Charles Dickens “The Haunted and the Haunters; or, The House and the Brain” by Edward Bulwer-Lytton “The Incantation” by Edward Bulwer-Lytton “The Avenger” by Thomas de Quincey Melmoth the Wanderer (selection) by Charles Robert Maturin “A Mystery with a Moral” by Laurence Sterne “The Notch on the Ax” by William Makepeace Thackeray “Bourgonef” by Anonymous “The Closed Cabinet” by Anonymous"

Charles Dickens, Charles Robert Maturin, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Julian Hawthorne, Laurence Sterne, Thomas De Quincey, William Thackeray (Author), Arthur Morey, Gabrielle De Cuir, John Lee, Paul Boehmer, Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Tristram Shandy: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"A full-cast dramatisation of this comic tale about an eighteenth-century gentleman who tries to tell his life story, but continually finds that he must digress... Featuring some of the best-known and well-loved characters in English literature, including Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Dr Slop and the Widow Wadman. Beginning (or attempting to begin) at the moment of his own conception, Tristram Shandy recounts his progress through the world and utterly fails to stick to the point. Sterne's comic masterpiece is an extravagantly inventive work which was hugely popular when first published in 1759, and is now considered a landmark in the history of the novel. Its often bawdy humour and numerous digressions are combined with bold literary experiments, and 260 years after its publication it remains one of the most influential and widely-admired books of the 18th century. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations. Also included in this release is a bonus programme - In Our Time: Tristram Shandy - in which Melvyn Bragg discusses the comic masterpiece with Professor Judith Hawley (University of London), Professor John Mullan (UCL) and Dr Mary Newbould (University of Cambridge). Cast: Tristram...Neil Dudgeon Mother...Julia Ford Father...David Troughton Uncle Toby...Adrian Scarborough Corporal Trim...Paul Ritter Dr Slop...Tony Rohr Obadiah...Stephen Hogan Susannah...Helen Longworth Great-Grandmother/Bridget...Ndidi Del Fatti Great-Grandfather/Pontificating Man/Death...Stuart Mcloughlin Bishop Hall/Le Fever...Hugh Dickson Widow Wadman...Deborah Findlay Dramatised by Graham White Directed and produced by Mary Peate A BBC Studios production"

Laurence Sterne (Author), Adrian Scarborough, David Troughton, Full Cast, Julia Ford, Neil Dudgeon, Paul Ritter (Narrator)

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Theatre Royal - The Liar & My Uncle Toby: Episode 18

"Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Ralph Richardson, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Robert Morley and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Laurence Olivier. They were based on works by the worlds' leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history."

Henry James, Laurence Sterne (Author), Ralph Richardson (Narrator)

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Theatre Royal - Four Meetings & A Sentimental Journey : Episode 19

Henry James, Laurence Sterne (Author), Ralph Richardson (Narrator)

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The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

"Laurence Sterne's beloved comic novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is the 'biography' of Tristram Shandy-a wonderfully humorous and eccentric narrator who guides the reader from his conception to his birth, and on to his life as an adult. The twists and turns of Tristram's life expose him to such memorable characters as Uncle Toby, Corporal Trim, Parson Yorick, Dr. Slop and the Widow Wadman-whose own stories enrich the central narrative of Tristram's life. Published in nine separate volumes from 1759 - 1767, Tristram Shandy is recognized today as one of the first modern novels in English literature."

Laurence Sterne (Author), John Keating (Narrator)

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A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy

"After the bizarre textual antics of "Tristram Shandy", this book would seem to require a literary health warning. Sure enough, it opens in mid-conversation upon a subject never explained; meanders after a fashion through a hundred pages, then fizzles out in mid-sentence - so, a plotless novel lacking a beginning, a middle or an end. Let us say: an exercise in the infinitely comic. "There is not a secret so aiding to the progress of sociality, as to get master of this short hand, and to be quick in rendering the several turns of looks and limbs with all their inflections and delineations, into plain words." Sterne calls his fine sensitivity to body language (as we now term it) "translation". Much of the pleasure to be had from this wonderfully engaging book comes from his unmatched ability to extract random details from the chaos of experience to create comic turns imbued with Feeling. His Parson Yorick is the Sentimental Traveller: certainly a Man of Feeling, but one in whom "Nature has so wove her web of kindness, that some threads of love and desire are entangled with the piece..." (Summary by Martin Geeson)"

Laurence Sterne (Author), Martin Geeson (Narrator)

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The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 1

"The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or, more briefly, 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 10 years. It was not always held in high esteem by other writers (Samuel Johnson responded that, "Nothing odd can last"), but its bawdy humour was popular with London society, and it has come to be seen as one of the greatest comic novels in English, as well as a forerunner for many modern narrative devices. (Summary from Wikipedia)"

Laurence Sterne (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 2

Laurence Sterne (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 3

"This is volume 3 of 4. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or, more briefly, 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 10 years. It was not always held in high esteem by other writers (Samuel Johnson responded that, "Nothing odd can last"), but its bawdy humour was popular with London society, and it has come to be seen as one of the greatest comic novels in English, as well as a forerunner for many modern narrative devices. (Summary from Wikipedia)"

Laurence Sterne (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 4

Laurence Sterne (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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Tristram Shandy

"Penguin Classics presents Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by Steven Pacey. 'I am got, I know not how, into a cold unmetaphorical vein of infamous writing, and cannot take a plumb-lift out of it for my soul; so must be obliged to go on writing like a Dutch commentator to the end of the chapter, unless something be done ...' Laurence Sterne's great masterpiece of bawdy humour and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate 'hero' Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick. A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations. Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening."

Laurence Sterne (Author), Steven Pacey (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Laurence Sterne

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