Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#81

Post by dcminter » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 7:48 PM UTC

amatecha wrote: post #56

Nice. The only opening line I remember offhand is from Neuromancer (which I'm glad to see is included in the site!) "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

It's so interesting that the intuitive meaning of this has changed - first meaning grey, then bright blue, and now... perhaps black, perhaps nothing? What does "a dead channel" mean to kids today?

I recently re-read the sprawl trilogy and thought Neuromancer stood up very well, but the others not so much.

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#82

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 7:50 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#83

Post by veraxapp » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 8:13 PM UTC

The minimal style works, the words really do speak for themselves. Have you thought about a movie section? Famous opening lines from films could fit the same format.

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#84

Post by mkrecny » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 9:24 PM UTC

This points in the direction of a "what book should I read next?" tool.

Inspired me to chase down rabbit holes about J.M Barrie (Peter Pan) and Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#85

Post by mrenzo » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#86

Post by maxbendick » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:04 PM UTC

You've found the right market. There's an awful lot of tech folk who don't read but want to feel like they do.

I gotta rep my favorite though, even if it's typical. "Call me Ishmael." It's not the narrator's actual name - he just feels like an outcast. It sets the pace for the mythic and worldly talk throughout the book. A high bar with complete follow-through. I'm a total sucker for it.

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#87

Post by whall6 » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:13 PM UTC

There’s something so beautiful and heavy about the how frank and pithy the opening line of Anna Karenina is:

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#88

Post by mrmarket » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:14 PM UTC

"First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys." - this line always makes me settle back in my chair. 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', Ray Bradbury. It's mysterious and nostalgic and sets the tone for the book right away, like any good first line should.

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#89

Post by arkensaw » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:55 PM UTC

dcminter wrote: post #81

amatecha wrote: post #56

Nice. The only opening line I remember offhand is from Neuromancer (which I'm glad to see is included in the site!) "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

It's so interesting that the intuitive meaning of this has changed - first meaning grey, then bright blue, and now... perhaps black, perhaps nothing? What does "a dead channel" mean to kids today? I recently re-read the sprawl trilogy and thought Neuromancer stood up very well, but the others not so much.

to kids today a dead channel would likely mean a youtube channel with no posts for a few years

Re: Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works

#90

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:58 PM UTC

mrmarket wrote: post #88

"First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys." - this line always makes me settle back in my chair. 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', Ray Bradbury. It's mysterious and nostalgic and sets the tone for the book right away, like any good first line should.

[deleted]