And then there were two! It’s time to crown a champion of our 2024 literary bracket. We started with 64 great opening lines and now we’re down to just those from Pride and Prejudice and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis. Who will win? That’s up to you. Vote now to make your voice heard.
“The sword glitters not because the swordsman set out to make it glitter, but because he is fighting for his life and therefore moving it very quickly.”
These final two first lines are like the sword - brilliant and beautiful because they are deftly used for their purpose by masters at their craft. But in my mind (and my husbands who reminded me of this quote) Lewis’ glitters just a bit more. Appropriate since the above quote is also his from Surprised by Joy.
So hard to choose! P&P is the first first line I was required to memorize (okay, other than the opening to Romeo and Juliet), and it has a special place in my heart. But CS Lewis just outdid himself with his first line…and I kind of think Jane would have voted for it too, so I went with Poor Eustace. 😂
Whoa, looks like a potential upset - P&P's is surely the Citizen Kane of opening lines.
Poor Eustace (and his vegetarian parents) the butt of an absolutely great one-liner. The personality of the narrator comes so clearly through that opening sentence and chapter - even though I don't like that narrator.
In P&P the opening line captures perfectly the ironic tone of the best novel of the best novelist.
Did anyone predict this ending? I just want to go audiobook Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the end of the round win!
Let’s do a closing line match-up next time!
I missed voting in the final as I was out of good cell service watching the eclipse but I love the result. This was so fun I want to play again
I’d love to see the FINAL lines of books for next year’s bracket! This year’s contest was fantastic!
Wow. I keep talking myself into each one and then making the counterargument for the other and then talking myself into the other...
1) this is a great final 2 matchup and 2) I thought it would be closer! I'll have to keep checking back to see the %s change
“The sword glitters not because the swordsman set out to make it glitter, but because he is fighting for his life and therefore moving it very quickly.”
These final two first lines are like the sword - brilliant and beautiful because they are deftly used for their purpose by masters at their craft. But in my mind (and my husbands who reminded me of this quote) Lewis’ glitters just a bit more. Appropriate since the above quote is also his from Surprised by Joy.
My heart tells me one thing, and my head another.
So hard to choose! P&P is the first first line I was required to memorize (okay, other than the opening to Romeo and Juliet), and it has a special place in my heart. But CS Lewis just outdid himself with his first line…and I kind of think Jane would have voted for it too, so I went with Poor Eustace. 😂
This might have been the hardest decision I made this week
Whoa, looks like a potential upset - P&P's is surely the Citizen Kane of opening lines.
Poor Eustace (and his vegetarian parents) the butt of an absolutely great one-liner. The personality of the narrator comes so clearly through that opening sentence and chapter - even though I don't like that narrator.
In P&P the opening line captures perfectly the ironic tone of the best novel of the best novelist.
They are both worthy first lines and I love them both. Lewis’ line is so compact and expressive that I had to pick it.
I just had to close my eyes and pick one. 🫣
This is going to be close!
I think these are my two favorite first lines in literature!
I didn’t expect this to be so difficult!