There is 'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...' which is the beginning of the 'Star Wars' novelizations. And 'Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.' from Gabriel García Márquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'. The first sentence can draw the reader in and set the stage for the story.
The opening of 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville, 'Call me Ishmael.' is very well - known. It's a simple yet powerful start. It directly introduces the narrator, making the reader curious about who Ishmael is and what his story will be. It's like an invitation to follow Ishmael on his journey, which in this case, is the fateful voyage in pursuit of the great white whale.
One famous first sentence 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 sets the tone for the whole novel which is largely about marriage and social status in the 19th - century English society. It immediately grabs the reader's attention as it presents a rather cynical view of marriage as a financial transaction of sorts.
Some first sentences are like a teaser. Consider 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov, 'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.' This is a very controversial opening because of its rather sexual undertones. But it is also extremely captivating. It makes the reader want to know more about who Lolita is and what the relationship between the narrator and her will be, while also warning the reader that this might be a rather unorthodox story.
Sure. J.K. Rowling's first novel is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. This novel introduced the magical world of Hogwarts and the young wizard Harry Potter, which became a global phenomenon.
One of the well - known first robot novels could be 'I, Robot' by Isaac Asimov. It's famous for its exploration of the Three Laws of Robotics.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel was 'This Side of Paradise'. It was a semi - autobiographical work that captured the hedonistic and restless spirit of the post - World War I generation, with its themes of youth, love, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
One could consider 'The Book of Margery Kempe' as an early 'first lady novel' in a sense. Margery Kempe was an English woman who wrote about her spiritual experiences in the 15th century. Another example could be 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. Although not the very first, it was a significant novel written by a woman that explored many complex themes such as love, independence, and social class from a female perspective.
Sure. 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen can be considered in a way as it has a lot of the story told from Elizabeth Bennet's perspective. Another one is 'Moby - Dick' which is mainly Ishmael's story told in the first person. And 'The Great Gatsby' where Nick Carraway tells the story in the first person.
Another one is 'All children, except one, grow up.' from 'Peter Pan' by J.M. Barrie. It immediately makes the reader curious about that one child who doesn't grow up and draws you into the story of Neverland.
Sure. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee is a well - known reality - based novel. It deals with issues of racism and injustice in the American South. Another one is '1984' by George Orwell, which reflects on totalitarianism and the power of the state over individuals. 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker also falls into this category as it portrays the life of African - American women in the early 20th century.