Novel openers: first sentences of 11,000 fictional works, topically arranged with subject, keyword, author, and title indexing / by Bruce L. Weaver (Book)
"I am the vampire Lestat. Im immortal. More or less. The light of the sun, the sustained heat of an intense fire--these things might destroy me. But then again, they might not"--The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice, 1986. Opening lines in fiction are used to draw readers into the invented world of the author, coaxing them to believe in what the writer imagines. Categorically arranged from Ability to Youth, over 11,000 opening lines from English-language works of fiction are given in this reference work. Most are novels, though a number of novellas, novelettes and other related forms excepting short stories are included. The primary focus is on works that are essentially literary, with a limited number of especially significant genre fiction titles also provided. Each entry includes the opening line, title of the work, author, and year published. Author and title, and subject (including keyword-in-context and all na