Clishmaclaver – Brechin High Library Blog

Love at First Line…

| 0 comments

Opening lines are an important part of any piece of literature. A writer has to grab the attention of the reader with that first line or run the risk of them putting the book down. While that might sound a little alarmist, there is no doubt that a punchy opening line lingers in the memory – and that is surely essential for any great book.
Or is it? How many classic novels have truly memorable opening lines, and how many have ones that have barely registered? You may instantly know that “Someone must have traduced Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning” is the first line of Kafka’s The Trial, or this may be news to you. – Oxford Dictionaries.com

The Bookwitty Community Shares Their Favorite Opening Lines in Literature

First impressions count for a lot. This is especially true when it comes to books. The opening sets the tone for what you’re about to read, and like the first impression on a date, a bad one is hard to recover from. When asked for some of their favorite opening lines in literature, the Bookwitty community was quick to answer the call. Here are some of their killer kickoffs. – Bookwitty

And…here are some more, those that spring to mind for me at least 🙂 –

Graham Green’s Brighton Rock: “Hale knew, before he had been in Brighton three hours, that they meant to murder him.

Charles Dickens’ A Tale of two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”; and from, A Christmas Carol: “Marley was dead, to begin with.” 😀

Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar: “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”

George Orwell’s 1984: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

Joseph Heller’s Catch-22: “It was love at first sight.”

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale: “We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.”

Leave a Reply

Report a Glow concern
Cookie policy  Privacy policy

Glow Blogs uses cookies to enhance your experience on our service. By using this service or closing this message you consent to our use of those cookies. Please read our Cookie Policy.