The Power of the First Line - Max B-M.

“And yet a really good first line can do so much to establish that crucial sense of voice—it’s the first thing that acquaints you, that makes you eager, that starts to enlist you for the long haul. So there’s incredible power in it, when you say, come in here. You want to know about this. And someone begins to listen.” - Stephen King

    It is often said that one should not judge a book by its cover, but no one talks about the opening line. The book's opening line draws the reader in, shows the novel's style, and informs the reader if they wish to continue. 

Moby-Dick - Herman Melville (1851) 

    This novel, which follows the story of a whaling ship captain's quest for revenge against a giant white whale, begins with the line; “Call me Ishmael.”

The opening line of the story is beyond famous. It’s the topic of many conversations about the author's intent with the line. One thought is that Melville wanted to indicate that the narrator may have been hiding something or acting deceitfully. He also possibly wanted to raise imagery surrounding the biblical figure of Ishmael, who was a castaway. The final theory about this well-known line is that Melville is creating a casual introduction. It allows readers to get comfortable with the narrator and first-person story that is about to play out. 

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) 

The novel, the story of the enigmatic Gatsby who sought to become impressively wealthy to win the heart of Daisy (the woman of his dreams), opens with an introduction to its narrator, Nick Carraway; “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.” 

    During the first words, a few points are shared about Nick: he is looking back on life, he thinks his father is a wise man, he identifies with privilege, and certain life occurrences have opposed his thinking and perspective. This entices the reader to want to know what those events may be and what else entrances this mysteriously introduced character. 

1984 - George Orwell (1949)

1984, a novel about a man questioning the system keeping his futuristic but dystopian society afloat, starts with the line; “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” 

Orwell begins the novel with a relatively simple declaration, but through it, he hooks the reader with many techniques. First, he combines two facts: it was a cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen. These two facts put together are stronger than either on their own and the dramatic nature of the sentence locks in the reader. Second, he uses sensory motion with his words, “were striking,” which allows the reader to visualize (physically and auditorily) multiple clocks striking 13 times.