The first four chapters of the book provide a close reading of the satiric, comic, and tragic action of Sterne's novel in the context of criticism from the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.

Chapter 5 provides a summary of chapters 1-4, focusing on Sterne's purpose in revising satiric plot structures and in blurring the lines between fiction and autobiography. Chapters 6-8 then examine Sterne's themes from Tristram Shandy that inform his letters, sermons, and other fiction; chapter 9 discusses the international reception of Tristram Shandy and argues for using writing-to-learn strategies to teach Sterne's greatest novel to undergraduate and graduate students.