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 "" is illustrated by spinning mechanical wheels, and paper leaves dance beneath text from "." The opening words of "" rush through an open window, and a clock strikes thirteen to depict "."

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