If you’ve ever spent hours at a bookstore or library flipping through pages of books at random, you know how important the opening line is. It has to grab your attention so tightly that you simply can’t put the book down. Authors accomplish this by many means, one of them being shock value. For example, Albert Camus’s The Stranger begins with this statement: “Mother died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” Immediately, your interest is piqued by this jarring introduction to a narrator who cannot even remember when his own mother died. Other authors will try to showcase their writing style in a single first sentence or set up a strange world that compels you to enter its doors. The latter can be seen in George Orwell’s 1984, where he writes, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Either way, all these writers have the same universal goal: to stand out among the millions and give you a reason to keep reading.
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
by Jane Austen
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
To understand the brilliance of this seemingly straightforward opening, one has to consider the historical context of the time that it was written. Austen immediately critiques the mercenary marriages common to the Regency period and establishes the story’s satirical tone that has made it such a classic romance. The plot follows the Bennet family, burdened by such a task as marrying off five daughters, and the humorous escapades that ensue when the extremely wealthy Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley enter the matchmaking scene. This delightful clash of wits between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy has fluttered the hearts of readers since 1813!
I CAPTURE THE CASTLE
by Dodie Smith
“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
Smith introduces us to the beloved narrator, seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, with a short sentence that perfectly encapsulates the irresistible charm of this coming-of-age classic. It’s endearing, odd, and warmly invites the reader to step into Cassandra’s world. Unlike other shocking, sometimes disturbing openings, this one feels like a familiar hug and a cup of tea on a drizzly day–which is what the book is all about, really. Cassandra lives in a dilapidated castle with her eccentric family and chronicles both the mundane and exciting goings-on of her unconventional life in this diary. Her distinct voice throughout the entries is hilarious at times, surprisingly poignant at others, and forever timeless as she experiences first love and first heartbreak.
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE
by Shirley Jackson
“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead.”
For Shirley Jackson, there is always an exception, so here is the entire opening paragraph. It starts off in the traditional sense with the narrator’s name but slowly builds up from the ordinary to something that will send a shiver down your spine. Readers get a good idea of what kind of creepy story this will be and what kind of strange girl is telling it. Mary Katherine “Merricat” and her surviving relatives live in a house isolated from town, haunted by what really happened that fateful day and looked at with hatred and suspicion by the townspeople. It is a typical Jackson gothic horror where everyday life becomes a nightmare and the grotesque monsters are the humans themselves.
THE BAD BEGINNING
by Lemony Snicket
“If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.”
The much-loved A Series of Unfortunate Events begins with a warning from our favorite fourth-wall-breaking narrator that, in reality, draws the reader in instead of scaring them off. Snicket’s unusual opening is deliciously thrilling and mysterious and perfectly in character for this series filled to the brim with colorful characters, dark adventures, and grim endings. The victims of these titular unfortunate events are the three clever and resourceful Baudelaire children, who lose everything (including their parents) in a fire and are sent to live with the villainous Count Olaf. There, they must use their wits to escape him and his murderous theater troupe who are after the Baudelaire fortune.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride & Prejudice. Penguin, 2009.
Smith, Dodie. I Capture the Castle. Wednesday Books, 2017.
Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, 2006.
Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Penguin, 2009.
Snicket, Lemony. The Bad Beginning. HarperCollins, 2009.
Photo Credits
https://www.amazon.com/I-Capture-Castle-Young-Adult/dp/1250146690
https://www.amazon.ca/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934/ref=monarch_sidesheet
https://www.amazon.com.au/We-Have-Always-Lived-Castle/dp/0141191457
ignore how squished the images are, there were technical difficulties ????
I sympathize wholeheartedly.
I love it! Amazing job!
tysm yuri!
(your article’s really right cuz rn i feel like im gonna add all of these books to my tbr list
the goal has been accomplished haha, lmk if you read them
ahhh i love ur cover for this article ???????? thats so true the first sentence is so important these books seem so interestingg
???? TYSM
Great article Anise! I added “I captured the Castle” to my tbr list even though its already miles long XD. Cant wait to see what other great books you recommend!
thanks thia!! I’m so glad, that’s a great one
Fabulous… it’s kinda fun reading an article by somebody else who’s read “I capture the castle”!
I capture the castle appreciators ????
i love this article! opening lines are so important, and it’s always fun to revisit these iconic ones. i’m definitely adding “i capture the castle” to my tbr! it’s a tough choice, but i think my all-time favorite opener is the lightning thief’s “look, i didn’t want to be a half-blood.” (and of course, the rest of the paragraph, which i definitely do not have memorized…)
YES, pj is another iconic one too
A very well-done and enjoyable article; I appreciate the wide range of opening lines you selected.
thank you so much, hadley!
Beautiful article Anise! <3 Even more books to to add to my infinitely long reading list xD
such a mood hehe
I am takeing this into account for my book
How does “Dear reader, Idid not write this book.” Sound?. I think it is intreging