best first lines of english novels

In 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.' This line is quite profound. It shows the futility of Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy, as if he is constantly struggling against an unyielding force, the past that he can't escape from.

One of the best first lines 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 novel which is centered around marriage and social class in 19th - century England.

Another way is to study the character who said the line. If a brave and noble character in an English novel says a line about standing up for what is right, like 'I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees', it gives more weight to the line. We can then understand the values of the character and how the line reflects those values, which in turn helps us to appreciate the best lines in 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.

Here are some classic English movie lines: - "After all, tomorrow is another day!" (After all, tomorrow is a new day!) "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." (Frankly, dear, I don't care at all.) - Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”Mama said life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. - "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. - "I'm king of the world!" (I am the king of the world!) - "Some birds aren't meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are just too bright.”Some birds are never meant to be caged, because every wing of theirs is shining with the light of freedom. and "It takes a strong man to save himself, and a great man to save another." A strong man can only save himself, a great man can save others. - "To be or not to be, that's a question." To live or to die, that is the question. - "We laughed and kept saying 'see u soon', but inside we both knew we'd never see each other again." (We smile and say goodbye, but we know that goodbye is far away.) - "All the bright, precious things fade so fast. And they don't come back.”(All the glamor and beauty can't beat time, and it's gone forever.) - "In case I don't see you." Good afternoon, good evening, and good night.”(If I never see you again, good morning, good afternoon, good night.) - "The wonderful things about living is that, this sort of thing can happen. In the shadow of a death raid, I can meet you and feel more intensely alive than walking around in peacetime and taking my life for granted.”(The beauty of life is that such things can happen. I met you in the shadow of the air raid, which is much better and more fulfilling than wandering around in peaceful times and taking life for granted.) Watching Léon: The Assassin wasn't satisfying enough. Everyone is welcome to click to read the novel!