Well, one of the best first lines might be from 'Pride and Prejudice' - 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' This line sets the tone for the whole story about marriage and social class in the 19th - century England. It's a very direct and somewhat ironic statement that draws readers in immediately.
One great first line is 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife' from 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. 'We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold' from 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S. Thompson is very distinct. 'Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy' from 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis is a simple yet effective start.
The first line 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' from Anna Karenina is very profound. It sets up the exploration of family dynamics. 'I am an invisible man.' from Invisible Man is a powerful start, making you curious about how someone can be invisible. 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.' from Rebecca is a haunting start. It has an air of mystery and makes you want to know more about Manderley and why the narrator is dreaming about it.
One of the best first lines is 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' from George Orwell's '1984'. It immediately sets an off - kilter mood. The idea of the clocks striking thirteen in a world where we expect twelve strikes creates a sense of unease and signals that this is a world that doesn't follow the normal rules we are used to.
They create mystery. For example, like in the first line of 'The Great Gatsby' - 'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.' It makes you wonder what that advice was and why it has stayed with the narrator for so long.
In 'The Great Gatsby', 'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.' This line beautifully captures the futility and the struggle of the characters in the novel, especially Gatsby's unwavering pursuit of a past love that seems just out of reach.
One of the best could be 'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.' from 'The Hobbit'. It immediately draws you into a world where a hobbit lives in a hole, making you curious about what this hobbit is like and what adventures await.
One of the best first lines is from 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' This line immediately sets a tone of contrast and complexity, drawing the reader in with its paradoxical nature. It makes you wonder what could be both good and bad at the same time and sets the stage for a story that is full of such contradictions.