best opening lines of great novels

One great opening line is from 'Pride and 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.' This line immediately sets the stage for the story's focus on marriage and social status in the society of that time.

One great opening line is from 'Pride and 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.' This line sets the tone for the whole story which is centered around marriage and social status in the 19th - century English society.

In '1984' by George Orwell, the opening line 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' is very striking. It creates an immediate sense of unease and a feeling that something is amiss in this dystopian world. The abnormal time - keeping makes the reader curious about what kind of world this is where the rules are so different from our own.

A great opening line is 'All children, except one, grow up.' from J.M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. This line is simple yet very effective. It makes the reader wonder about that one special child and why they don't grow up like the others. It also gives a sense of mystery and the promise of an adventure.

One of the best 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, dystopian mood.

One more notable opening line could be 'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.' from 'The Great Gatsby'. This line makes the reader curious about what that advice was and why it has been on the narrator's mind for so long. It gives a sense of a story that has been brewing in the narrator's head for a while.

One could be 'In that moment, as the sun dipped below the horizon, she saw him and knew her world would never be the same.'

One could be 'In that crowded room, his eyes found hers and the world around them faded away.'

One great opening line is from 'Pride and 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.' This line sets the stage for the story which often revolves around marriage and social status in the 19th - century English society.

One classic is 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' from 'The Name of the Rose' by Umberto Eco. This opening line sets a somewhat mysterious and intellectual tone, hinting at the complex and often religiously - infused mystery that unfolds in the story.