Great Opening Lines of Novels (VIDEO)

They dive headfirst into the plot, or they reveal something haunting about the narrator. They can be brief or elaborate, vague or revealing. Opening lines are a tricky thing. When done well, they serve as intriguing thesis statements, an eloquent glimpse of what's to come.

Paying homage to well-crafted first sentences, "The Guardian" created this video, prompting readers to guess who penned what.

(In order to give you some sense of excitement, we've whited out the titles below in our descriptions of some of the animations. Click and drag over the white space to reveal the solutions.)

In this beautifully made animated collection, the eerie vernacular of "A Clockwork Orange" is illustrated by spinning mechanical wheels, and paper leaves dance beneath text from "Jane Eyre." The opening words of "Peter Pan" rush through an open window, and a clock strikes thirteen to depict "1984."

What are your favorite opening lines in literature? Let us know in the comments.

Comments

[Kirtley]

10:09 AM on 10/21/2011

"Once upon a time there was a Martian named Valentine Michael Smith."

[Kirtley]

09:50 AM on 10/21/2011

A Tale of Two Cities, of course:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way, — in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

and for good measure, dickens put some of the best closing lines in the story:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."

[BillDodds]

09:43 PM on 10/20/2011

His Holiness, Pope Leo XVII, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Rome and Servant of the Servants of God, opened his eyes and wondered if he was going to throw up.

[Rocka-Billy]

04:38 PM on 10/20/2011

"Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time."

[Vincent Larson]

05:01 PM on 10/20/2011

slaughterhouse five

[suzc]

01:50 PM on 10/20/2011

"Last night I dreamed I went to Mandalay again."

[headly67]

12:02 PM on 10/20/2011

"I have never begun a novel with more misgiving. If I
call it a novel it is only because I don't know what else to
call it."

[Vincent Larson]

05:01 PM on 10/20/2011

got me here. ???

[headly67]

11:57 AM on 10/20/2011

"It was a pleasure to burn"

[Vincent Larson]

05:01 PM on 10/20/2011

Fahrenheit 451

[headly67]

11:56 AM on 10/20/2011

Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick.

[Vincent Larson]

05:02 PM on 10/20/2011

The Shining.

[jrmjake1]

11:50 AM on 10/20/2011

That is a great caption. I am reminded of the 'first born' hierarchy was established with Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel came to odds and one died at the end of a rock. You look at the Esau and Jacob saga, where even though they were twins Jacob came second in birthing, however Esau was chosen as the eldest (not necessarily the most revered) by slight of hand and deception at the hands of his mother Rebekah.

Than we have Sarah who tells her husband Abraham, "I am unable to conceive, you need to pass your legacy on ..... so have a son with my maid." Being the good husband, Abraham follows her command. He does not know the fertile cycle of any woman and so trusts his wife's advice. We all know how that story goes. However, Abraham did end up in the confines of the Iran/Iraq region where he did work with Ishmael, before finally settling in the region of Israel.

I love these stories, the bottom line inheritance is one thing......happenstance is another......and slight of hand and questionable judgments by man is yet another. Ismael is NO LESS a son to Abraham than Isaac. Matter of fact being that Ishmael is 8 (?) years older than Isaac, might have more concentrate 'genes' because Abraham was 100 years old at the time. Science and religion does mix I am not afraid to state.

[Boobuzuela]

11:11 AM on 10/20/2011

The countdown had stalled at T minus 69 seconds when Desiree, the first female ape to go up in space, winked at me slyly and pouted her thick, rubbery lips unmistakably--the first of many such advances during what would prove to be the longest, and most memorable, space voyage of my career.

--Martha Simpson
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/lyttony.htm

[Beaupuppy]

06:31 PM on 10/19/2011

On they went, singing "Rest Eternal", and whenever they stopped, their feet, the horses, and the gusts of wind seemed to carry on their singing. Passers-by made way for the procession, counted the wreaths, and crossed themselves. Some joined in out of curiosity and asked: "Who is being buried?" -"Zhivago", they were told. -"Oh I see, that's what it is." -"It isn't him. It's his wife."

[Becca Heiser]

04:01 PM on 10/19/2011

My father's family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.

[Michael Clanchy]

05:08 PM on 10/19/2011

I know it's a real effort to read the other 11 posts on the thread, but someone already posted this.

[suzc]

01:56 PM on 10/20/2011

Also an effort to read the article, I guess. It says "post your favorites" -- which is what we are doing. I was pleased to see someone else also liked my favorite.

[MBGarcia]

02:47 PM on 10/19/2011

'One may as well begin with Helen's letters to her sister.' Howards End

Instead of telling you what to think of the Schlegels, E.M. Forster lets you figure out for yourself what would take other authors ten chapters to explain. Love it!

[DLZ]

02:09 PM on 10/19/2011

Temptation comes to me first in the conspicuous personage of Herbie Bratasky, social director, bandleader, crooner, comic, and m.c. of my family's mountainside resort hotel.

Yeah, Philip Roth....

[Francesco Riganelli]

12:26 PM on 10/19/2011

Not opening lines that are almost cliches, like 'It was a bright cold day in April'. Yes, it sets the time frame of the story and helps with the physical setting, but it's been done to death. Opening lines are helpful to grab the reader, but this writer feels that too much undo attention is given to things like opening lines. To consider only it, shows little appreciation for the rest of the work. And it can happen that accommodating the detail of little importance, can make the rest of the story difficult.

Just the same, they do grab the reader. Although even a weak first sentence should lead into a strong first passage. We hope people give at least that much time to leafing through a novel.

Good opening lines? 'The clock struck 6; it was 6am, as its heavy bronze hand swung to the number twelve.' 'Anthony sat on the sofa in his penthouse apartment, reading the newspaper with his morning coffee.' 'The sun beamed through the windows of the Starbucks on the Sunday afternoon.' 'The day on which Lawlessness reared its ugly head at Blandings Castle was one of singular beauty.' 'On the day of my husband's annual fundraising gala, I was down by the river liberating rats.'