Routledge Laurence Sterne Longman Critical Readers - Literary Analysis

This Routledge critical reader explores Laurence Sterne (1713-68), one of the eighteenth century's most influential novelists whose experimental work shaped modern literature far more than his contemporaries Richardson, Defoe, Fielding and Johnson. Sterne's writing fundamentally influenced major twentieth-century authors including Joyce and Woolf, establishing him as a pivotal figure in the novel's development. Over the past two decades, scholarly interest in Sterne has intensified dramatically, generating rich discourse across contemporary literary theory including gender studies, sexuality analysis, postmodernism and deconstruction. This volume engages with Sterne's major works and examines how his innovative narrative techniques continue to resonate with modern critical approaches. Perfect for students and scholars of eighteenth-century literature and literary criticism seeking to understand Sterne's enduring impact on fiction and narrative form.