opening lines – Michael A. Kahn

Great Opening Lines: Thoughts from Other Fans

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Michael Kahn

A few months back, I did a post on the greatest opening lines in literature. Since then, I’ve had a chance to sample through the thoughts of others on the subject. Below are some of my favorite pieces: Let’s start with a fun post by Guy Dammann of the Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian. Atop…

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The Literary Lounge Lizard: Pick-up Lines Gone Wrong

Posted on December 25, 2012December 25, 2012 by Michael Kahn

My last two posts were salutes to the greatest pick-up lines in literature–those magical opening sentences that lure you into the novel. As in a singles bar, the best pick-up lines in novels feature a surprise twist at the end. George Orwell understood that rule in crafting the opener to his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four: “It was…

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The Great American Opener: More Thoughts on Literary Pick-up Lines

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Michael Kahn

Following up on my last post, I had some more thoughts on what makes a great opening line. Two contenders for The Great American Novel are also contenders for The Great American Opener. Herman Melville starts Moby Dick with the concise but enigmatic “Call me Ishmael.” Hmm . . . not your real name, eh?…

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The Art of the Literary Pick-up Line: “Hey, call me, Ishmael”

Posted on December 17, 2012December 20, 2012 by Michael Kahn

For an author, the opening line of a novel is the literary equivalent of the snappy pick-up line in a singles bar. Indeed, some of our greatest novelists are also some of our greatest pick-up artists. My latest post at the Poisoned Pen Press blog is on the great opening lines of literature. I end it with…

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