November 29, 2006
Thirteen Opening Lines from Classic NovelsYou Should Have Read by Now
(can you name the book?)
1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man inpossession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
Answer (highlight to see it): Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”
Answer: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
3. Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.
Answer: Homer’s The Odyssey
4. “A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and greysteeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearinghoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a woodenedifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, andstudded with iron spikes.”
Answer: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (this is from chapter one, not the introduction)
5. “A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.”
Answer: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
6. “Tom!”
Answer: Come on! You didn’t have to check this one, did you? Really?
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. You know who wrote it.
7. “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”
Answer: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
8. “The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon.”
Answer: The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. “It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
Answer: 1984 by George Orwell
10. “On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though
in hesitation, towards K. Bridge.”
Answer: Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
11. “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”
Answer: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. “This book is largely concerned with Hobbits, and from its pages a reader may discover much of their character and a little of their history.”
Answer: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
13. “The Salinas Valley is in Northern California.”
Answer: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
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The second installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles takes Victoria to Venice and Rome.
My novel, 
November 30th, 2006 at 9:16 am
#5 is the only one i haven’t read!
November 30th, 2006 at 9:20 am
I haven’t read these in ages. Makes me want to pick up Tom Sawyer and Pride & Prejudice again. Of course, after just having finished your book, I REALLY want to read Pride & Prejudice again *g*
November 30th, 2006 at 9:20 am
I knew a few, but a scant few. I’m sadly underread in the classics. I’ve never been much a fan of them, though I’ve begun reading more of them just so I can say this with more wind to back my sails. *laugh* Truth be told, I’ve found a few in the last year that I’ve begun this quest that I enjoy rather more than expected!
And gosh… who knew I’d stumble upon /another/ published author’s blog through TT today! You’re #2! I confess to never having read anything by you, but vampires… I’m hooked already.
Must. Buy. Books.
November 30th, 2006 at 9:25 am
Yippy! I knew and have read all but #5! Great list! Happy TT!
November 30th, 2006 at 10:04 am
I started out well but then crashed!! I only knew 4 — how embarrassing!
November 30th, 2006 at 10:22 am
I knew staggeringly few of those. Bad Gypsy!
November 30th, 2006 at 10:25 am
I’m embarrassed to say I only knew two! #6: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and of course #12: Fellowship of the Ring
Love the leave picture in the header…at first glance, I thought it was lips!
November 30th, 2006 at 10:41 am
I don’t know if I should be pleased with myself or not, I got ten out of the 13 right! Pats self on head.
November 30th, 2006 at 11:10 am
I knew Tom Sawyer. LOL
November 30th, 2006 at 11:10 am
This was SOOOO much easier than your frustrating lyrics quizes
November 30th, 2006 at 11:23 am
Woohoo! I knew 9 of them! My favorite is the first
November 30th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
I’ve only actually read a couple off these. But I could guess what they were.
November 30th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I’ve read the opening pages of East of Eden several times. I think they’re perfect.
November 30th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Sadly, half of those were on my high school’s banned list. Half of the ones I have read, I read on my own.
November 30th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
I’ve only read 4 of them (actually maybe 5 but one of them I’m debating on cause it was in high school LOL) but I still got a couple more than that of the quotes, who knows how.
Cool idea!
November 30th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
So glad you decided to give the answers (very clever too!) There weren’t too many of these I knew, even though I’ve read quite a few of them.
November 30th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
I’ve read all but #s 2 & 13.
November 30th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
I’m embarrassed to say I’ve only read a few of these. I loved Lord of the Flies in High School. I think I was the only one in my class who did.
November 30th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I had to redo my link since it was linking to an old TT - sorry about that!
November 30th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Fun list! I only recognized a couple.
November 30th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
Classics. I love them.
November 30th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Woo hoo! I actually knew some of these.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:49 am
Good books all! Number two is one of my favorite classics. I can’t read #3 without thinking of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Such fun film.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:46 pm
This was a great list, though I admit I didn’t know many–shame on me! lol. One of these days, I’m going to do a TT of my own.
December 7th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I knew several of the answers, mostly because they were required in school. I like to read a good book every now and then, when I have time. Right now I am at the preschool level…I have a 3 1/2 year old