Irish prose fiction in 1726 published the first great work by an Anglo-Irish writer, "Gulliver's Travels". Though this had no specifically Irish relevance, it set a standard for later writers in English. The eighteenth century saw the birth in Ireland of two distinguished novelists, Laurence Sterne (1713 – 1768) and Oliver Goldsmith (1728 – 1774), both of whom, however, made their careers in England. Despite this, their oeuvre is often included in the Anglo-Irish literary canon. Sterne published "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" (1759–1767), a satire on the biographical novel. Goldsmith, best known as a poet, published "The Vicar of
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman the extent that Tristram's own birth is not even reached until Volume III. Consequently, apart from Tristram as narrator, the most familiar and important characters in the book are his father Walter, his mother, his Uncle Toby, Toby's servant Trim, and a supporting cast of popular minor characters, including the chambermaid, Susannah, Doctor Slop, and the parson, Yorick, who later became Sterne's favourite "nom de plume" and a very successful publicity stunt. Yorick is also the protagonist of Sterne's second work of fiction "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy". Most of the action is concerned with domestic upsets or