An American literary site has published its list of the 100 best first lines from novels. What opening sentence from a famed work of fiction that is usually initially encountered by readers in secondary school, and that makes reference to yet another novel with a "best first line", appears on this list?

gtho4

#16 "The Catcher in the Rye" refers to #20 "David Copperfield" 16. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. —J. D. Salinger, "The Catcher in the Rye" (1951) 20. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. —Charles Dickens, "David Copperfield" (1850) http://www. http://www.litline.org/ABR/100bestfirstlines.html">http://www.litline.org/ABR/100bestfirstlines.html Jan 23 06, 5:37 PM

lanfranco

Yay, gt! Your first site isn't working, but the second is the one I had in mind. Personally, I've always been fond of #5 and #78, but I encountered #50 a few years ago and was instantly interested. Jan 23 06, 5:49 PM

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The American Film Institute has just released its list of the top 100 lines from American movies. What classic warning, spoken by a famous leading lady in a film about professional rivalry and treachery, appears on this list? Who knows what book this first line comes from, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"? In the first decade of the 20th century, the creator of a perspicacious literary protagonist undertook an investigation in order to help clear a certain young man of disturbing charges against him. Who was this famed writer, what were the particulars of the case, and what modern literary figure has recently published a fictionalized treatment of this episode? A book review connected with a major U.S. newspaper recently asked a large number of literary figures to select the best work of American fiction published within the last 25 years. The result was announced this weekend. What novel received the most votes, and what are the four runners-up?

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