Memorable openers of the great authors

Indranil Sarkar
Reading is a primitive human habit. Man
possesses an instinctive and insatiable thirst for knowledge. He wants to see the unseen; know
the unknown. Books provide the easiest means to satisfy this eternal thirst of man. In European
World Reading began as early as the 8
th
century. According to Francis Bacon a man becomes a
full or complete man only through reading books. Reading makes a full man. In a way
everything we have achieved so far has been the outcome of reading books. Books are the
carriers of wisdom as Milton says Books are the life-blood of creative personalities. Beginning
with Renaissance, almost all the human movements have been fostered by reading.
With the emergence of newer and cheaper ways of publications the world of books has become
an infinite one while erstwhile materialism and present day Globalization have drastically
snatched mans time to read. The alternative Mass Medias are also playing negative roles in this
regard. As a result man has been suffering from various incongruities. He can not afford to read
even a fraction of worlds wisdom. As a result he has to be selective while choosing a book for
his reading.
However, the problem is not a new one. In the primitive world also man could not invest his
whole life in reading only. He has to be selective in this regard. He must select the book that
satisfies his personal likes and dislikes. As such the writers are also using different techniques at
different times to hand over the most desired book to a particular reader.In16th and 17
th

century, the writers used to provide a sub-title in addition to the actual title to convey the
reader a thematic hint of his book. Shakespeare did not write his plays for reading as such
disinterested in giving sub-titles in general. But, the custom was so much in vogue that even the
Bard could not maintain his abhorrence to sub-titles. He also submitted to the custom and
provided sub-titles to two of his plays---Twelfth Night and Henry viii. The sub-title of 'Twelfth
Night' was 'What You Will" and the sub-title of Henry VIII was 'All is True'. He, most probably
parodied the custom. Any way, it has been noticed since Jane Austen that a memorable
opening sentence has most helpful avenue to find the proper reader. An impressive opening
sentence helps generate curiosity in the mind of a reader and thus a perfect match between
the book and its reader is achieved.
Lets recall a few memorable literary works which have become timeless just because of their
opening sentences. First lines are always crucial in any narrative, whether novels, films, novellas and
especially short fiction. They are what decide whether one feels like reading or watching ahead, are
gripped at the earliest stage possible and immediately engaged with the world of the narrative.
Of course, the list begins with Jane Austens opener in Pride and Prejudice. It is a truth
universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife
Jane Austen. (Pride and Prejudice, 1813). The ironical opening sentence has been causing
sleeplessness to the intellectual world all over the globe even after two hundred years of its
first publication. The problem has become equivalent to the unsolved philosophical question of
Hen and Egg: which came first, the Hen or the Egg? What is more justified: a wealthy young
man is in need of a wife or a young girl is in need of a suitable husband?
The next is definitely from Dickenss pen. A Tale of Two cities begins with the unforgettable words
narrating the age and the background of French Revolution: It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times. It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief; it was the
epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light; it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope;
it was the winter of despair. (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859).
The third is obviously from the pen of Leo Tolstoy. His Anna Karenina begins with the wise observation
of material world: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. (Leo
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, 1877).The wisdom in the sentence produces hypnotic desire to read the book in
a single breath.
Next, is from Herman Melvilles Moby Dick (1851).Here the hero identifies himself by uttering a brief
sentence: Call me Ishmael.
James Joyces Portrait of the artist as a young man (1916) possesses many technical specialties in
addition to its stream of consciousness phenomenon. But the most memorable is the fantastic opening
sentence: Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the
road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nice little boy named baby tuckoo.
Similarly, the opener It was a pleasure to burn, in Ray Bradburys, Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is unique in its
inherent meaning. It possesses the valence of a publicity caption to be used by some armament industry
some day.
Next one comes from Joseph Hellers Catch-22(1961).The opener It was love at first sight recalls
Shakespearean Romances and the reader opens the book with an expectation of getting the taste of
Shakespearean love in a modern novel after 350 years.
Maya Angelous opener in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings When I was three and Bailey four, we had
arrived in the musty little town, wearing tags on our wrists which instructed To Whom It May
Concern that we were Marguerite and Bailey Johnson Jr., from Long Beach, California, en route to
Stamps, Arkansas, c/o Mrs. Annie Henderson, simply makes the reader spellbound.
The opening sentence All children, except one, grow up of J.M. Barries Peter Pan (1902) simply evokes
the curiosity of knowing the story of the child who did not grow up.
Similarly, the opening sentence Death is only the beginning; afterward comes the hard part in Jed
Rubenfelds The Death Instinct (2010), infuses the desire in the readers mind to know a little more
about the unknown horizon of Death where every man to go some day.

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