Can you give examples of the best first lines in science fiction novels?
In Arthur C. Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey', the first line 'Beyond the blue line of the horizon the sun was rising.' is deceptively simple. However, it starts to build the vastness of space and the concept of a new day in a way that is both calm and yet full of potential. It sets the stage for the epic journey that is about to unfold in the story.
Sure. For example, in H.G. Wells' 'The War of the Worlds', 'No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own.' This first line creates a sense of mystery and foreboding. It makes the reader wonder who these 'intelligences' are and what they are up to, while also setting the time period which adds historical context.
Can you give more examples of the best first lines in novels?
Sure. In 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville, 'Call me Ishmael.' This simple yet powerful line draws the reader into the story, making them curious about who Ishmael is and what his story will be. It's a very direct way to start a novel that goes on to be an epic adventure on the high seas.
Can you give more examples of the best first lines of English novels?
Sure. Consider the first line of 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville: 'Call me Ishmael.' It's a simple yet powerful line that invites the reader into the story from the perspective of the narrator. It's a very direct way to start a novel about a man's obsession with a great white whale.
Can you give examples of the worst first lines in novels?
Sure. 'It was a time.' is a really bad first line. It's so vague that it doesn't give the reader any idea of when this 'time' is, what kind of era, or what might be significant about it. It just leaves the reader feeling lost from the very start.
Can you give more examples of the best first and last lines in different novels?
Sure. The first line of 'Moby - Dick' by Herman Melville 'Call me Ishmael.' is super simple yet iconic. For the last line, in 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley, 'When the light was gone, there was a gentle, quivering darkness, and the night - breathing of the sleeping horses in their stalls.' It creates a rather haunting image.
Can you give more examples of the best opening lines of fiction?
The opening of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 'In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.' This line creates a sense of reflection and mystery. We wonder what the advice was and why it has stayed with the narrator for so long. It also gives a bit of a personal touch to the story from the very beginning.
Can you give some examples of the best first lines of fantasy novels and explain their charm?
Sure. Consider 'There is an old saying there: Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.' from 'The Last Jedi' novelization. This line has a sense of finality and a call to action. It makes you think about the past in the context of the story's world and how characters might deal with it. It's a bit of a dark and decisive start that hooks you in.
Can you give some examples of first lines of cyberpunk novels?
Sure. 'The city was alive with a thousand lights, none of them natural, and Johnny Mnemonic walked through it like a ghost.' This line sets a mood of a very artificial and somewhat otherworldly city. It also introduces a character in a rather mysterious way, making the reader want to know more about Johnny Mnemonic.
Can you give examples of great first lines in classic novels?
A classic example is from 'Anna Karenina' by Leo Tolstoy: 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' This line sets a philosophical tone and makes the reader anticipate stories of different families, both happy and unhappy, which is a central theme in the novel.
Can you give more examples of the best ending lines of novels?
The ending line of 'Lord of the Flies' - 'Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.' This line sums up the entire dark journey of the boys on the island. It shows the loss of their initial innocence, the revelation of the evil that can lurk within humans, and the grief for the death of Piggy, which is a very poignant way to end the novel.
Can you give some examples of the best lines of novels that are inspiring?
Another inspiring line comes from 'Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkien. 'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.' It encourages people to take control of their lives and make the best use of the time they have.