TMR 32.3: “The Subordination of Fingers and Thumbs To ******” [Tristram Shandy]

On this week’s episode, which covers Volume III of Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Brian shares some weird stuff about geese from Rabelais along with an AI-created reading list on the “evolution of metafiction.” And all three co-hosts talk about how fun this book is to read, but also wonder what the book’s overall “joke” might be. They also discuss noses (or “noses”), “The Author’s Preface” and Macedonio Fernández, and some of the novel’s wordplay.

Next week’s episode will cover Volume IV. If you want to follow along, the complete schedule can be found here.

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Upcoming Open Letter Events

All October: Asymptote Book Club for The Strongest Woman in the World.

Friday, October 2, 1pm ET: Open Letter Salon for The City.

Saturday, October 3, 1pm ET: Time and Water: Film Screening and Conversation at Scandinavia House, NYC. Also screening at the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival on October 7th at 7pm on the lawn between Cherry Hill and Sheep Meadow.

Tuesday, October 6, 7pm ET: The 2026 Icelandic Translator Triptych at Scandinavia House, NYC.

Wednesday, October 7, 7pm ET: Screening of Time and Water at the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival.

Saturday, October 10, 4pm CT: Spotlight on Icelandic Women Writers at Open Book, Minneapolis, MN.

Saturday, October 17, 2pm ET: Translating Scandinavia at Scandinavia House, NYC.