Index : F : Famous First Lines

Structure Sub-topic of: Literary Terms & Quotes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 170 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display. Frequently Asked Questions & Answers There are 30 user-asked question matches ( goto ) Special Topics One Liners of Literature Novel's Opening Lines First Words First Words Part 2 Opening Lines from Books And For Starters... Openings of Literary Classics Opening Lines The Beginning of a Classic

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Famous First Lines

Written in 1784, this book was not published until 1904: "The extensive wars wherewith Louis XIV was burdened during his reign, while draining the State's treasury and exhausting the substance of the people, none the less contained the secret that led to the prosperity of a swarm of those bloodsuckers who are always on the watch for public calamities, which, instead of appeasing, they promote or invent so as, precisely, to be able to profit from them the more advantageously." Which work starts with this sentence?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


De Sade-"The 120 days of Sodom or the School of Freedoms".. Marquis Donatien Alphonse François de Sade's "120 days" is without a doubt the most horrible book I've ever read. In it, four rich men gather in a castle for 120 days, to immerse themselves in every decadency imaginable, most of it sexual, and most of it incredibly cruel. In a cool, methodical way, de Sade lists and categorizes the depravities the four friends indulge in. The book as published is only a draft he made in 37 days whilst in prison. He lost it, and lamented its loss greatly. It was to be his magnum opus. The other books were also banned: Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Social Contract" was not well received by the French authorities due to its unorthodox views on politics. In it, he claims that true followers of Jesus would not make good citizens. In 1930, U.S. Customs found Voltaire's "Candide" too obscene to allow into the United States. Pascal's "The Provincial Letters" was not only banned, but even shredded and burned by order of King Louis XIV, because it attacked popular Catholic and Jesuit beliefs at the time.



Which story begins with these words? "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock..."

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The Lottery. This story, by Shirley Jackson, used to be a standard in high school English classes, and is much anthologized. The strength of the story lies in the juxtaposition of the utterly ordinary characters and setting, and the slowly growing realization of the reader that something very strange is going on here. VERY strange...



Which story begins with these lines? "X - This day when it had light mother called me retch. You retch she said."

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Born of Man and Woman. This 1950 story by Richard Matheson is only a little more than two pages long, but it packs one heck of a wallop. Whatever (whoever?) is chained in the basement is beginning to realize its power. The story ends: "If they try to beat me again Ill hurt them. I will." Stephen King says of this story (along with Jack Finney's "The Body Snatchers") "...they made the break from the Lovecraftian fantasy that had held sway over serious American writers of horror for two decades or more." ("Danse Macabre", 1979)



Which novel opens with these words? "Dr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and evrey thing that happins to me from now on."

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Flowers for Algernon. This novel, by Daniel Keyes, was originally a novella (1959). It was later expanded into a novel (1966), and later (1968) became a movie, "Charly". It's the story of a retarded man who is given a treatment that makes him highly intelligent. However, the treatment doesn't last, and finally Charlie is back where he started, not even remembering the experiment: ""Anyway I bet Im the first dumb person in the world who ever found out somthing importent for sience. I remember I did somthing but I dont remember what. So i gess its liek I did it for all the dumb peepul like me. ...tell Dr Nemur not to be such a grouch when pepul laff at him and he would have more frends. Its easy to make frends if you let pepul laff at you..."



Which novel begins with these lines? "The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking as it seemed from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand. He was wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a white crest to the burden he carried."

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The Invisible Man. "The Invisible Man" (1897) by HG Wells. A great story, one of the most readable of Wells' 'scientific romances'. "...my limbs became glassy, the bones and arteries faded, vanished, and the little white nerves went last...At last only the dead tips of the fingernails remained, pallid and white, and the brown stain of some acid upon my fingers."



Which novel begins this way? "The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards."

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A Wizard of Earthsea. Long before Harry Potter was dreamed of, Ursula K LeGuin brought us the story of Ged, a young wizard in the island world of Earthsea. This book, the first in a trilogy, came out in 1968.



Which novel begins this way? "On September 15th, 1981, a boy named Jack Sawyer stood where the water and land come together, hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking out at the steady Atlantic."

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The Talisman. This first collaboration by Stephen King and Peter Straub came out in 1984. It's a story set half in our world, and half in "the Territories". They followed this up with "Black House", in 2001.



Which book begins with the following lines? "The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way towards the lagoon."

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Lord of the Flies. I suppose William Golding knew what he was writing about in this book that deals with (at least in part) the wild animal not far under the skin of the adolescent boy. He was a schoolmaster from 1941 - 1961, at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury.



What English classic's first sentence is "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


Pride and Prejudice. This classic, written by Jane Austen, was published in 1813. Elizabeth Bennet is the main character who has to fight to keep her family home. There is no male heir in her family, as she is one of five daughters. The daughters must find suitable husbands or they will be forced to leave their home.



Well said! "The Time Traveller (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us." Which book have you just begun to read?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


Wells-"The Time Machine". This should be an easy one. Is there anyone out there who has not read Wells' "The Time Machine" or has seen one of the films? Twain's "Connecticut Yankee" is far better read than seen. Jules Verne's book does not deal with time travel. Guthrie's book is the first one that I know of to deal with the paradoxes time travel could cause.



Two other star-crossed lovers...: "Nay, but this dotage of our general's o'erflows the measure: those his goodly eyes that o'er the files and musters of the war have glowed like plated Mars, now bend, now turn the office and devotion of their view upon a tawny front." Which play starts with these ominous words?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


Shakespeare- "Antony and Cleopatra". The usual story: Boy meets girl, boy's best friend falls in love with girl, world war erupts. The rest are also books by Bill.



This story is about Sherlock Holmes: "We were seated at breakfast one morning, my wife and I, when the maid brought in a telegram." But of which of the great detective's adventures is this the first line?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


Conan Doyle-"The Adventure of the Boscombe Valley Mystery". These stories are all from "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". But it was very hard to find a story that did not mention its protagonist in the first line. "Bohemia" starts with: "To Sherlock Holmes she is always *the* woman." The first line of the "League" is: "I had called upon my friend, Sherlock Holmes, one day in the autumn of last year, and found him in deep conversation with a very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman, with fiery red hair." And "Identity" begins as follows: "'My dear fellow,' said Sherlock Holmes, as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker-street, 'life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.'" And those are just the first four stories. Of the remaining stories, six start with a sentence containing "Holmes", two do not. Mr. Conan Doyle wanted to make sure his readers knew who this was going to be about!



This quotation may be testing for you but do have a go. From which translated novel is this opening phrase? 'Mr. *** lived, in 1872, at No. 7, Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, the house in which Sheridan died in 1814. He was one of the most noticeable members of the Reform Club, though he seemed always to avoid attracting attention; an enigmatical personage, about whom little was known, except that he was a polished man of the world.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


Around The World In Eighty Days. We have Monsieur Verne (senior) to thank for the vast output of his son Jules Verne (1828-1905) because it was only after he discovered his son was not studying for the Law as he had supposed and so cut off his allowance that Jules concentrated fully on his writings. They eventually made him a very rich man. His works included: 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and 'Around the World in Eighty Days'. Thanks to jbuck919 for pointing out that the novels were translations.



This novel is from another author who deserves more attention these days. From which novel have I taken this first line? 'I was born in the northern part of this United Kingdom, in the house of my grandfather, a gentleman of considerable fortune and influence, who had on many occasions signalised himself in behalf of his country; and was remarkable for his abilities in the law, which he exercised with great success in the station of a judge, particularly against beggars, for whom he had a singular aversion.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


The Adventures Of Roderick Random. This novel was written by Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771). After a career in the Royal Navy as a ship's surgeon, he became a successful novelist. His works include 'Roderick Random', 'Peregrine Pickle' and 'Humphrey Clinker'.



This novel begins with a very long opening sentence. The style is distinctive and all aficionados are sure to identify the author but which novel do the lines come from? ‘Sir Walter Elliot, of Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire, was a man who, for his own amusement, never took up any book but the baronetage; there he found occupation for an idle hour, and consolation in a distressed one; there his faculties were roused into admiration and respect, by contemplating the limited remnant of the earliest patents; there any unwelcome sensations, arising from domestic affairs changed naturally into pity and contempt as he turned over the almost endless creations of the last century; and there, if every other leaf were powerless, he could read his own history with an interest which never failed.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


Persuasion. 'Persuasion' was another success for Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) who produced novels which are almost universally recognized as classics of English Literature. Her works are regularly set as study texts in the U.K. at school and universities and elsewhere. Her style is characterized by irony, humour, strong plots and a descriptive ability of a very high order.



This is the first line of which novel? "On a pitch-black, starless night, a solitary man was trudging along the main road from Marchiennes to Montsou, ten kilometres of cobblestones running straight as a die across the bare plain between fields of beet."

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Germinal. "Germinal" by Emile Zola (1885). This is the story of Etienne Lantier, or rather a story of mining, of labour, of capitalism, and of politics. It is the thirteenth in his twenty volume series "Les Rougon-Macquart", which is an attempt to explore the effects of heredity and environment on one family. Through following the fortunes of various members of this family, Zola studied every facet of French society.



This classic novel begins with "You better not never tell nobody but God." What book is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


The Color Purple. This classic novel by Alice Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983. It tells the story of blacks living in the south in the 1930's. The story deals with many kinds of abuse suffered by black women, not only by white men but black men as well.



This book has the opening line of "To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth." Which famous classic is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


The Grapes Of Wrath. John Steinbeck's classic tells the story of an Oklahoma family who retreats to California during the Great Depression. They deal with the infamous Dust Bowl, and such hardships as little money and shelter. Steinbeck's novel is one of the greatest known in America.



This beloved thriller begins with "Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery." What book is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


The Da Vinci Code. This book of mystery is authored by Dan Brown. Professor Robert Langdon is sent to solve the mystery of a Frenchman, Jacques Saunière. The case turns upside down when a cipher is found with the man's body. Now, Langdon and Saunière's granddaughter are on a quest to crack the Da Vinci Code.



This beloved classic begins with Aunt Polly shouting for her nephew. He doesn't answer. Which novel is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer is a very mischievous boy who is always getting himself in trouble. He manages to trick other children into doing jobs for him by making them think it is fun. Tom and his friend Huck Finn get themselves into many mishaps in their adventures. Author: Mark Twain.



This American masterpiece commences with the opening line "Early in the spring of 1750, in the village of Juffure, four days upriver from the coast of The Gambia, West Africa, a manchild was born to Omoro and Binta Kinte." Which novel is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


Roots. I'm quite clever to come up with those names! "Roots" is actually called "Roots: The Saga Of An American Family". Alex Haley also wrote the book "Queen." In his life, Alex Haley was accused of plagiarism.



So far so good I hope. Now try this, another opening line from a well-known novel. Do you know which? Once again a main character's name is disguised. '"Hole!" said Mr. ***, and then for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: "'Ole!" He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms. "Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!" He was sitting on a stile between two threadbare looking fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


The History of Mr. Polly. H G Wells (1866-1946) had a huge international reputation as man of letters, philosopher and political activist throughout his long career. He is now best known for his works of Science Fiction such as 'The Time Machine', 'The Invisible Man', and 'The War Of The Worlds' but his novels of social commentary such as 'The History of Mr Polly' should not be ignored.



Shakespeare, Sonnet 18: 'Shall I compare thee to a __________ day?'

Timeless First Lines (rachellis)


summer's.



Let's start with some really ancient literature: "Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans." Which book starts with this line?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


Homer - "The Iliad". Homer allegedly was the author of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" poems, but little to nothing is known about him, or if he ever really existed. "The Iliad" is the epic of the siege and eventual fall of Troy. "The Odyssey" is the story of how one of the besiegers, Odysseus, took ten years and many adventures to get home. "The Batrachomyomachia" is a collection of poems also attributed to Homer, though they are probably of a later date. "The Simpsons" is a modern-day tragedy written by Matt Groening.



From which work of fiction was this opening line taken? (A main character’s name has been omitted for obvious reasons). 'Mr. ***, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." '

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


The Hound Of The Baskervilles. Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) became the highest paid author of his day and owed most of his success to his creation 'Sherlock Holmes' who was the main character in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. Doyle himself preferred his so-called "historical works" though these were not as well-received by the public. The character he created has featured in novels, plays, radio, television and film as well as ballet and opera.



From which novel does this opening line come? 'In giving to the world the record of what, looked at as an adventure only, is I suppose one of the most wonderful and mysterious experiences ever undergone by mortal men, I feel it incumbent on me to explain what my exact connection with it is.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


She. The author was H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard (1856-1925) who produced a series of adventure novels mainly based in Africa. The character 'She' is the subject of at least three of his novels and has been featured in several films.



Finally, what novel begins with "This is the saddest story I have ever heard."?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


The Good Soldier. Ford Madox Ford wrote this novel in 1915. It tells the tales of two couples and the ups and downs of their relationships, pre-World War 1. The author uses flashbacks in the story, which were a technique that he started.



Don't be deceived by appearances: "The artist is the creator of beautiful things." This is the first line of which book?

Famous First Words (smulgje)


Wilde-"The Picture of Dorian Gray". This is an excellent book. Go read it. No, really. Nearly every line of it is worthy of being a Quote of the Day. This specific first line is of the Preface, which was not included in the very first publication of the book. This Preface ends with the famous quote: "All art is quite useless."



By way of contrast this novel begins with a short and pithy sentence. What novel are we talking about I wonder? 'The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


Jude The Obscure. 'Jude The Obscure' was a novel by the English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). Most of his novels were set in the fictional 'Wessex' though Hardy himself maintained it had a close correlation with the Wessex of history, and included the counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Hampshire, Dorset, and Devon.



Another short and sharp first line for you. From which novel does this opening line come? 'In the first place, *** is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women.'

First Lines of English Literature Novels (bracklaman)


Cranford. The English novelist and biographer Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810 to 1865), was an author with a vast and varied literary output which included not only numerous short stories, murder and mystery tales but also the amusing 'Cranford'.



Although this book was written by a British author, it is as loved in America as in so many other countries. Its opening line: "It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind." What book is this?

Literary First Lines (mrbell)


Harry Potter And Half Blood Prince. This classic by J.K. Rowling tells the story of Harry Potter, an orphaned young wizard. Harry discovers an old potions textbook left behind by the mysterious Half Blood Prince. Harry goes on through the book finding out more about the Prince and his mysterious past.

• Where were the first double yellow lines used on the road ? ( goto )



• "I address these lines - written in India - to my relatives in England." This is the first line of what book? ( goto )



• Now for a couple of last lines from famous books: "But since 'tis as 'tis, why, it might have been worse, and I feel my thanks accordingly." ( goto )



• What are ley lines? ( goto )



• 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? ( goto )



• The band of a famous Welsh woman had hits that contained lines such as "Tonight I'm going to be, Matthew" and "I'd rather be single and thin." Who is she, what is the name of her band, and how old is she? ( goto )



• 'Beware! Beware! His Flashing Eyes, His Floating Hair. Weave a circle around him thrice and shut your eyes with holy dread - because on honey dew hath fed, and drunk the milk of paradise.' He wrote these famous lines? ( goto )



• 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? ( goto )



• What other famous rock-idol-to-be appeared on the now-famous first The Ed Sullivan Show featuring the Beatles in 1964? ( goto )



• What famous horse won the first ever Hollywood Gold Cup in 1938? ( goto )



• What company's famous advertising icon is called Poppy, first introduced in 1965? ( goto )



• In the 19th century what famous first did Aaron Marby achieve? ( goto )



• Abbott and Costello's famous routine "Who's on First" featured in which movie? ( goto )



• What were the two first names of the Grimm Brothers, famous for their fairytales? ( goto )



• How many different lines are there on the London underground? ( goto )



• Which Shakespeare character has the most lines? ( goto )



• Why is a pattern of crossing lines called a 'crisscross?' ( goto )



• Which Shakespearean character has the most lines with 1422? ( goto )



• Which famous author took his first three names from that of an ancestor who wrote a famous anthem? ( goto )



• What famous film director also directed the first episode of TV's Columbo? ( goto )



• At the Battle of Balaklava Heights during the Crimean War an old Erol Flynn movie about the famous "Light Brigade" (you know, "into the valley of death rode the 600") created the impression that the brigade made its charge with such determination because among the troops in the Russian lines was a man with whom the brigade had a grudge from a previous engagement, and the goal of every man in the brigade was to find him and kill him. Is that actually true or is it just another movie myth? ( goto )



• What are the full 16 lines of William Henley's poem 'Invictus'? ( goto )



• Which female character of Shakespeare has the most lines? ( goto )



• What famous poet was the first American to have plumbing installed in his house in the year 1840? ( goto )



• Who was the first Germanic hero made famous by defeating Varus at some dark forest? ( goto )



• One of the first instances of their existance was in a work by the Roman poet Virgil, although evidence may suggest earlier recordings by a Roman Statesman. A 19th century writer known for his unique 'character inspired' posthumous recognition also wrote about their modern geographical origin. What are they, how do they relate to royalty, and what are the guide-lines and 'laws' their native country enforces about the reproduction of them? ( goto )



• According to a famous first line, which 17th century literary character had a racing greyhound? ( goto )



• A famous classical music composer and a famous player used to play chess every time they could. The player was good, but the composer was a first category one. Who were they? ( goto )



• What is the name of the lines between our nose and upper lip? ( goto )



• What are the lines on a globe or a map that measure east and west called? ( goto )