<P> The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or 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 (vols. 3 and 4, 1761; vols. 5 and 6, 1762; vols. 7 and 8, 1765; vol. 9, 1767). It purports to be a biography of the eponymous character . Its style is marked by digression, double entendre, and graphic devices . </P> <P> Sterne had read widely, which is reflected in Tristram Shandy . Many of his similes, for instance, are reminiscent of the works of the metaphysical poets of the 17th century, and the novel as a whole, with its focus on the problems of language, has constant regard to John Locke's theories in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding . Arthur Schopenhauer cited Tristram Shandy as one of the greatest novels ever written . </P> <P> As its title suggests, the book is ostensibly Tristram's narration of his life story . But it is one of the central jokes of the novel that he cannot explain anything simply, that he must make explanatory diversions to add context and colour to his tale, to the extent that Tristram's own birth is not even reached until Volume III . </P> <P> Consequently, apart from Tristram as narrator, the most familiar and important characters in the book are his father Walter, his mother, his Uncle Toby, Toby's servant Trim, and a supporting cast of popular minor characters, including the chambermaid, Susannah, Doctor Slop, and the parson, Yorick, who later became Sterne's favourite nom de plume and a very successful publicity stunt . Yorick is also the protagonist of Sterne's second work of fiction A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy . </P>

In which volume tristam shandy finally recount his birth