A Life Illuminated by Wit and Innovation Laurence Sterne, born in the Irish town of Clonmel in 1713, was a figure destined to disrupt the literary landscape of eighteenth-century England. His life, marked by both ecclesiastical duty and a restless spirit, provided fertile ground for the development of a uniquely innovative voice—one that would forever alter the course of the novel. Sterne’s early years were characterized by constant m…