Happy "First Monday in 2009" to everyone in RAVALA land!! And, to help celebrate this first Monday, how about chiming in to let us know what your favorite first lines in literature or in movies are? My very favorite first line is that penned by Margaret Mitchell in "Gone With The Wind": "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were." That first line was truly intriguing for me and as a 13 year old, it drove me forward into the book. After seeing the movie, I knew she was gorgeous, but Ms. Mitchell used an amazing first line to hook me in.
So - what is your favorite or most memorable first line? Please share and satisfy our curiosity!
Susan C.
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9 comments:
Great idea for a blog! How about "Call me Ishmael..." from Moby Dick, and "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." from "A Tale of Two Cities". Those are easy. There have to be lots more out there!!!
I'm not part of RAVALA group, but I'm gonna post anyways!
I love opening lines that hook you in and really get you interested in the story. Here are two of my favorites:
"My father asked me to be the fourth corner at the Joy Luck Club. I am to replace my mother, whose seat at the mah jong table has been empty since she died two months ago. My father thinks she was killed by her own thoughts." From the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This opener immediately sucks the reader in: what is the Joy Luck Club? How did her mother die?
My other favorite is from my all time favorite book series, The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring: "When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would be shortly celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton." Parties are always a good way to open a story!
A first line that stands out for me is, "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is from DuMaurier's book Rebecca.
One introductory statement that affected me was from the nonfiction book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Baeh. It reads:
My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”
“Yes, all the time.”
“Cool.”
I smile a little.
“You should tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”
Thus begins a beautifully written memoir about the author's experience as a "boy soldier"--a horrific tale told so eloquently that the reader can hardly believe that the story is true. At the end, you recall this first statement -- it will stay with you for a long, long time.
Cheryl
The firt line that stands for me is, A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness...
These lines are from John Keats's Endymion, the poem composed by him in 1818. When I was a student at the University we studied English poetry. It was long time ago but I still remember these opening lines full of inspiration.
Tanya
"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold."
Hunter S. Thompson
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
A Tale of Two Cities is easy because it is SO good.
I also like J.K Rowlings "Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." What an ordinary start to a great series.
How about this one:"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . ." (Romeo and Juliet, of course).
Check out Twitterlit.com for lots of great first lines or Kidderlit.com for first lines from children's books. There are also some Fantastic First lines on both the Kidsite and the Teensite.
A favorite of mine:
“I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say.” Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
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