The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Book 5, Chapter 3 Summary

  • Buckle up: this is going to be a good one.
  • It's normal to weep for a lost child, but Mr. Shandy has a different way of mourning. Here's a story that shows it:
  • Mr. Shandy tried to breed a little mare with a beautiful Arabian stallion so he'd have a good horse to ride, but he ends up with an ugly mare.
  • He deals with his sorrow by having a good philosophical debate, which cheers him right up. Mr. Shandy runs through all the quotations on death he can remember, and then happily continues to draw upon history and philosophy in a speech to Toby.