It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the age of faith, it was the age of doubt; it was the season of light. , it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, and we had nothing before us; we were all heading straight for heaven, we were all heading straight in the opposite direction—in short , then, much as now, some of the loudest authorities insisted on using the superlative form of the adjective to describe it. To say it is good is the highest level; to say it is bad is also the highest level.

——[English] Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"

Comment: Dickens's novel plays a tragic song during the French Revolution. In that complicated era, faith and doubt were mixed, light and darkness were intertwined, and hope and disappointment ran side by side. This "opening" vividly describes an extremely complex era.

Nietzsche often struggled with philosophers on the mysterious concept of "return of disasters": think about the things we have experienced, think about them repeating themselves as if they were yesterday, or even repeating themselves endlessly. !What does this crazy fantasy mean?

——[Czech Republic] Milan Kundera "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

Comment: The opening sentence points out the author's The ideological point of view is the lightness of life in a world where there is no return of disasters. A profoundly philosophical statement that is thought-provoking.

In 1801, I had just returned from a visit to my landlord—the lonely neighbor who was about to cause me trouble. This is really a beautiful countryside. I do not believe that in all England I could find a place so completely cut off from the hustle and bustle of the world, a misanthrope's ideal paradise.

——[English] Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights"

Comment: At the beginning, the beautiful scenery of Wuthering Heights is described from the perspective of a tenant, which leads to the following The article, step by step, discovers all kinds of disharmony under the beautiful scenery, which makes people have a strong desire to explore.

For a long time, I went to bed early. Sometimes, as soon as the candle goes out, my eyelids close immediately, and I don’t even have time to mutter “I’m going to fall asleep.” After half an hour, it occurred to me that I should go to bed. This thought made me sober up.

——[France] "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust

Comment: This far-reaching stream of consciousness novel has a different opening chapter. The protagonist is between hazy and sober, with thousands of thoughts gathered in his mind, leading to the following text naturally.

One day in February, the weather was still relatively cold. At dusk, in an elegantly decorated reception room that doubles as a restaurant in P City, two gentlemen sat opposite each other and drank wine. They didn't have servants waiting on them. They were sitting next to each other, as if discussing something very important.

——[American] Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Comment: The beginning of the article shows the reader a more three-dimensional scene, and focuses the camera on this relaxed The pleasant scene and the incongruous mysterious figure make the reader want to find out.

Happy families are all alike, and every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

——[Russian] Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina"

Comment: This sentimental and soul-stirring work has such a concise beginning. It’s like: Thousands of words turned into a sigh.

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from restless dreams, he found himself transformed into a huge beetle lying in bed.

——[Austria] Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis"

Comments: This allegorical novel introduces readers to a sense of surprise and uneasiness at the beginning. It makes people feel sad after finding out.

He is an old man fishing alone in a small boat in the Gulf Stream. He has been there for 84 days and has not caught a single fish.

——[American] Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea"

Comment: This highly acclaimed novel begins with an iceberg in the sea. There are seven points on the outside and seven points on the inside, which strongly attracts readers to read on. This "iceberg effect" has also become a portrayal of Hemingway's work style.

Many years later, when Colonel Aureliano Buendía stood in front of the firing squad, he would think of that distant afternoon when his father took him to see the ice. At that time, Macondo was a village of 20 families, with mud houses built on the river bank. The water was clear and flowed along the stone-strewn river bed. The stones in the river were smooth and white, just like prehistoric giant eggs.

——[Colombia] García Márquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude”

Comment: This “major work that reproduces the historical and social picture of Latin America” begins with The reader is pulled into a rather magical situation. "The river bed covered with stones is like a prehistoric giant egg", which is fascinating and makes people daydream.

Today, my mother died. Maybe it was yesterday, I don't know. I received a telegram from the nursing home saying: "My mother died. She will be buried tomorrow. This is a special notice." This doesn't mean anything. Maybe he died yesterday.

——[France] "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

Comment: "The Stranger" begins with "Today, mother died.

Maybe it was yesterday, I don't know" and ends with "I still hope that on the day of my execution, many people will come to see me and shout hateful voices towards me." The novel ends with this calmness that contains inner strength. The tone creates a shocking "absurd person" for us: a protagonist who is indifferent to everything.

On that day, it was impossible to go for a walk. In fact, we were still in the bare bushes in the morning. We walked around for an hour, but from lunch time (Mrs. Reed had lunch very early when there were no visitors), the cold winter wind blew, and then the clouds gathered and the rain poured down, so outdoor activities were limited to Done.

——[English] Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre"

Comment: "Jane Eyre" is a novel with an autobiographical feel. The novel illustrates the theme: human value = dignity + love. The scene shown to us at the beginning of the novel is like the heroine's character and encounter: pure water contains contradictions and passion.

We were in self-study, and suddenly the principal came in, followed by a new student who was not wearing student uniforms, and a small school janitor, but the students who were dozing off also woke up and stood up. As if the homework was disturbed

——[France] Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary"

Comment: Flaubert paid attention to his life. He is a master of language and pays great attention to the unity of thought and language. His writing style is reflected in the beginning of this novel: using delicate writing style to describe the details, and the language is full of dynamic. , lifelike and immersive.