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
Coxwold of the village and was originally built in 1430 as a parsonage for Coxwold's village priest. It is a small brick building, with a mossy, stone-covered roof, wide gables, and massive chimney-stacks. It was originally a timber-framed, open-hall house but was considerably altered in the 17th century. The stone tablet above its doorway states that Sterne wrote "Tristram Shandy" and "A Sentimental Journey" at Shandy Hall. This is not entirely accurate, for two (of the nine) volumes of "Tristram Shandy" had already been published in 1759 before Sterne moved to Coxwold. Sir George Orby Wombwell, 4th Baronet, the last surviving