The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Book 5, Chapter 31 Summary

  • Mr. Shandy explains that they'll skip the yawn-worthy first 30 pages, which explain that political society arises out of sex between men and women—and the possession of an ox to plow the land.
  • Eventually, they fenced off the land and fixed it up. Somehow, by Mr. Shandy-logic, this proves that a father, and not a mother, has power over a child.