Pride And Prejudice - 30 great opening lines in literature

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice (1813)
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'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina (1878)
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"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 epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, 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, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."
Charles Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities (1859)

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’

George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

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"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York."

Sylvia Plath: The Bell Jar (1963)

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"You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by a Mr Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.”

Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

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"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."

J.D Salinger: The Catcher In The Rye (1951)

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"They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did."

Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)

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"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (1925)

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there."

L. P. Hartley: The Go-Between (1953)

“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.”

Franz Kafka: Metamorphosis (1915)

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“Call me Ishmael.”

Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (1851)

“The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new.”

Samuel Beckett: Murphy (1938)

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"It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him."

Joseph Heller: Catch-22 (1961)

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"It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him."

Joseph Heller: Catch-22 (1961)

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"All children, except one, grow up."

J.M. Barrie: Peter Pan (1911)

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"Under certain circumstance there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady (1880)

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Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita (1955)

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"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love."

Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera (1985)

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“They’re out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them.”

Ken Kesey: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962)

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"I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking."

Christopher Isherwood: Goodbye To Berlin (1939)

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"Elmer Gantry was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk."

Sinclair Lewis: Elmer Gantry (1926)

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"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of a fleshy balloon of a head."

John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)

“The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting."

Stephen Crane: The Red Badge Of Courage (1895)

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"It was the day my grandmother exploded."

Iain Banks: The Crow Road (1992)

"The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry."

Thomas Hardy: Jude the Obscure (1895)

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"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."

Charlotte Brontë: Jane Eyre (1847)

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"Mother died today. Or maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure."

Albert Camus: The Stranger (1946)

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"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish."

Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man And The Sea (1952)

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"All this happened, more or less."

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five (1969)

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Thierry Henry 'pushing me' to complete Arsenal buy-out, claims Alisher Usmanov who attacks club's owners

Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov has said that former striker Thierry Henry is "pushing him" to complete a buy-out of the club.

The Uzbek-born billionaire, who owns a 30 per cent stake in the north London club also had a swipe at the club's transfer policy which has seen Arsene Wenger build two teams, one that now plays for the club's rivals and one trying to compete with the best in the Premier League.
During Wenger's tenure, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Ashley Cole are just three of the club's biggest assets to have joined Premier League rivals.
In an interview with L'Equipe, Usmanov says when he had the chance to become one of the main shareholders in the club he was prevented to do so by "certain people preferring to make a profit and create, using me, an outside enemy."
Growing frustrated by being portrayed as a "pirate" by Arsenal's current ownership with owner Stan Kroenke owning two thirds of the club's shares, he is glad to have an Arsenal legend backing him.
"I like many footballers, and I'm in contact with some of them. Perhaps my favourite of the last ten, 15 years is Thierry Henry. He's pushing me to buy all of Arsenal's shares, but I cannot predict the future.


"When I had the chance to buy some shares and become one of the main shareholders in the club, I didn't hesitate for a second. I was even ready to take total control. That wasn't possible because certain people preferred to make a profit and create, using me, an outside enemy. I remain portrayed as a pirate, an enemy. They have won that game."
Usmanov hailed Wenger as one of the best coaches in the world but claimed that the current owners are making life too difficult for him.
"I think he deserves that players are brought in at Arsenal when they're needed.
"The best players, and not being satisfied with selling our best players to our rivals. If that happens, we can ask everything of him. But, today, he's sacrificed. Because of the policy, and we're all to blame. Everything's in Mr Kroenke's hands, and I hope he succeeds, even if he doesn't go along with my ideas."
He added: "The greatest achievement of Arsene Wenger is to have created two teams: the one that now plays for our rivals, and the one that is trying to be among the best in the Premier League."
Usmanov also reiterated his stance that his interest in Arsenal is one dictated by the heart rather than his wallet.
"It wasn't a question of money or prestige. It's a choice [to invest in the club] dictated by my emotions, those provoked in me by the club. And Arsenal's current situation remains an interesting investment.
"I would like to be useful for the club, and I can be. I understand football well, and can prove it, but I'll never force myself on anyone. For the moment, Arsenal don't seem to need me. But I remain convinced that Arsenal should have only one aim in every competition: first place and winning."

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Eurozone lending contracts for eighth month as cheap borrowing fail to revive spending

Loans to companies and households in the eurozone contracted for the eighth month running in December, showing low official borrowing costs are having little success in reviving investment and spending.

Loans to the private sector fell 0.7pc from the same month a year ago, European Central Bank data showed.
The monthly flow of loans to non-financial firms fell €22bn in December after falling by €7bn in November. The monthly flow of loans to households showed a drop of €3bn after a rise of €6bn in the previous month.
The cheap funds the ECB is pumping through the monetary system are still not reaching households and businesses evenly across the euro zone as some countries struggle to get their stricken economies back on track, though progress has been made.
On a country-by-country basis, the data showed a €22bn drop in private-sector lending in Spain, the largest monthly fall since July. In Portugal, private-sector lending fell by €2.6bn, the biggest drop in a year.


Italy, however, posted a healthy rise of €12.6bn to €1.757 trillion in private-sector loans.
The central bank has taken some of the heat out of the euro zone crisis by announcing a new, as yet unused, bond-purchase programme, but the bloc's economy remains weak and is expected to have shrunk in the final months of 2012.
ECB President Mario Draghi noted in early January some economic indicators had stabilised at low levels and financial markets' confidence had improved, which along with the ECB's accommodative policy should lead to a recovery later this year.
Mr Draghi even spoke of "positive contagion" in financial markets, with Monday's data already pointing in that direction with consumers and firms' deposits in banks in troubled euro zone member states rising in December.
But it might still take some time before this filters through in better loan availability, analysts said.
"The much more positive sentiment about the euro zone future that has prevailed in financial markets so far this year will probably take some time to materialise in greater credit availability and economic growth," Oxford Economics' Marie Diron said.
Euro zone M3 money supply - a more general measure of cash in the economy - slowed to annual growth of 3.3pc in December from 3.8pc in November, just below the consensus of 3.9pc from analysts polled by Reuters.

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HS2: Government faces immediate backlash over new high-speed rail link

The Government is facing an immediate backlash from Conservative MPs after it disclosed its plans for the northern section of the controversial HS2 high-speed rail link.

The 225mph trains will link London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds by 2033.
It emerged that plans to connect the £32 billion train line directly to Heathrow have been put on hold until the Davis Commission on airport capacity has reported.
The route will also pass through the Tatton constituency of George Osborne, the Chancellor, who today insisted the project will be an “engine for growth” in the north of the country.

Mr Osborne has been warned by local politicians that there will be “public outrage” over fears the train line will destroy countryside in the area.
Cheryl Gillan, the former Welsh Secretary, warned that thousands of people will have their lives “blighted” by the project.
Mrs Gillan, whose Buckinghamshire constituency lies on HS2’s proposed route, has said that commuters face years of soaring rail fares if the project goes ahead.


“Thousands of people will have woken up this morning to find their lives and businesses are blighted, not just in the short term, but for a very long period of time,” Mrs Gillan told the Daily Telegraph.
“My constituents have been going through this since 2009. There isn’t even a proper compensation scheme in place yet.”
The HS2 line will cut journey times between London and Manchester to one hour and eight minutes.
Under the plans a journey from London to Leeds will take an hour and 22 minutes - 50 minutes quicker than the current journey time.

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R&B singers Chris Brown and Frank Ocean engage in brawl outside Westlake studio in LA: report

According to TMZ singer Frank Ocean was the victim, and he later took to Twitter to share that he had been 'jumped' by Brown.

The incident comes several months after Chris Brown's infamous June 14, 2012 dustup with members of rapper Drake's crew. 


Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown is under investigation for an alleged assault in a West Hollywood parking lot, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said early Monday.

Deputies responding to a report of six men fighting Sunday night found the scene clear, but were told by witnesses that there had been a brief fight over a parking space.

"The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim," the department said in a statement released early Monday morning.

The "victim" wasn't identified but the celebrity website TMZ - which first reported the fight outside the Westlake Recording Studio - said it also involved Frank Ocean, one of the top nominees at Grammy Awards next month.

In a Twitter posting later, Ocean said he "got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys" and suffered a finger cut.

It wasn't Brown's first problem in the run-up to the Grammys. His attack on singer Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 awards event overshadowed the show.

Email messages to Ocean's publicist and Brown's lawyer were not immediately returned. A man answering the phone at the recording studio declined to comment.



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Jennifer Lawrence’s Dior malfunction: 'Silver Linings' star flashes a lot of leg at SAG Awards

Lawrence appeared to have stumbled twice before making it to the stage, exposing the mesh underlining of her gown.

Jennifer Lawrence was the talk of the town yet again, but in addition to her award-winning performance in "Silver Linings Playbook," everyone was buzzing about what some would call a fashion faux pas at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

As she made her way from the crowd, Lawrence's dress looked like it was unraveling. The Dior number exposed its mesh underlining, revealing Lawrence's legs before she quickly noticed and had to smooth it out with her hands.

Nicole Kidman reacts to Lawrence's wardrobe malfunction.

Marion Cotillard looks shocked as she notices Lawrence's dress difficulty.

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SAG Awards 2013: Red carpet fashion highs & lows

Jessica Chastain
Awards season is in full swing, and Hollywood's A-list didn't disappoint on the red carpet for the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 27, 2013. See what all the stars wore on the big night ... Jessica Chastain, who was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty," stunned in a red Alexander McQueen gown on the red carpet.

Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence didn't let being sick with pneumonia stop her from turning heads on the SAG red carpet. The "Silver Linings Playbook" actress dazzled in a blue Dior Couture dress, and picked up the award for Best Actress.

Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway, who took home the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress, looked glam in an embroidered tulle Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown.

Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts definitely tops the best dressed list, evoking old Hollywood glamour in her embroidered Marchesa gown.

Nicole Kidman
Double nominee Nicole Kidman has some fun on the red carpet posing in her navy Vivienne Westwood gown. The actress finished off her elegant look with Fred Leighton jewels and Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper's baby blues were on full display on the SAG red carpet. The "Silver Linings Playbook" lead, who was nominated for Best Actor, looked handsome in a Tom Ford tux.

Claire Danes
New mom Claire Danes, who could have picked a more flattering dress to show off her amazing post-baby bod, chose a black one-shouldered Givenchy dress to hit up the red carpet. The actress won the SAG Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for "Homeland."

Sofia Vergara

Looking every inch the Hollywood starlet, Sofia Vergara showed off her curves in a white Donna Karan Atelier dress. The actress picked up a SAG Award, along with the rest of her "Modern Family" cast, for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Amanda Seyfried

"Les Miserables" actress Amanda Seyfried looked on top of her game -- and very similar to fellow navy-clad Jennifer Lawrence -- with a fishtail Zac Posen gown at the 2013 SAG Awards.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore bared her cleavage (though, perhaps a little too much for this particular dress) in a white Chanel Haute Couture gown with navy floral appliques. The actress won the SAG award for Best Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her role as Sarah Palin in "Game Change."

Tina Fey

"30 Rock" star Tina Fey, who looked elegant in an Oscar de la Renta frock, had reason to smile -- she picked up the award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

Ben Affleck and Hugh Jackman

Bromance alert! Ben Affleck, who took home top honors at the SAGs for "Argo," posed with fellow nominee Hugh Jackman on the red carpet.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington looked white-hot in a strapless white and silver Rodarte dress, complete with a small train

Nina Dobrev

The always flawless Nina Dobrev rocked a pink Elie Saab dress with Jimmy Choo heels on the SAG red carpet.

Busy Philipps

A pregnant Busy Phillips hit the red carpet in a bump showing all-black Gabriela Cadena ensemble.

Helen Hunt

"The Sessions" Helen Hunt was a vision in silver in a sequined Romona Keveza gown on the Screen Actors Guild red carpet.

Justin Timberlake

A dapper Justin Timberlake, who presented at the big show, added some color to the SAGs in his wool Tom Ford suit.

Jennifer Garner

On hand to support hubby Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner glamed it up in a gold sequin embroidered Oscar de la Renta gown.

Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera amped up the sex appeal in a black Donna Karan Atelier strapless gown with a plunging sheer neckline.

Marion Cotillard

Marion Cotillard looked stunning in Dior Haute Couture, but she wasn't the only one who opted for a full-skirted style on the red carpet ...

Julianna Margulies

Julianna Margulies chose a similar style, going with a black-and-white Chado Ralph Rucci gown with a full wrap skirt. The actress completed her look with Christian Louboutin sandals.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis won big for his role in "Lincoln," picking up the Best Actor Award at the 2013 SAG Awards.

Lea Michele and Cory Monteith

"Glee" sweethearts! Lea Michele and beau Cory Monteith make for a cute pair at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Michelle Dockery

Michelle Dockery from "Downton Abbey" flashed some major sideboob in her vintage floor-length black Chado Ralph Rucci gown.

Sally Field

"Lincoln" actress Sally Field wore a youthful purple chiffon J. Mendel frock -- and accessorized with Martin Katz jewelry -- at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Ariel Winter

14-year-old Ariel Winter looked age appropriate in her Alex Perry ball gown dress.

January Jones

January Jones is usually flawless on the red carpet, but the "Mad Men" actress seemed to have missed the mark with her black-and-white Prabal Gurung dress. Props though for rocking a daring pompadour hairstyle.

Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks showed off her svelte figure in a body-hugging draped gown on the SAG Awards red carpet.

Eddie Redmayne

"Les miserables" actor Eddie Redmayne looked dashing in a Hugo Boss suit on the SAG Awards red carpet.

Jayma Mays

"Glee" actress Jayma Mays looked radiant as she posed on the red carpet in her white beaded Georges Hobeika Atelier gown.

Julie Bowen

Julie Bowen is all smiles in her leather Johanna Johnson dress as she hits up the SAG red carpet.

Maria Menounos

Lady in red! Maria Menounos opted for a sexy, back baring red gown to match the SAG red carpet.

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas

Cute couple alert! Hilaria Thomas can't take her eyes of husband Alec Baldwin -- and SAG winner for Best Actor in a comedy series -- on the red carpet.

Jaimie Alexander

Actress Jaimie Alexander, who is currently dating "Twilight" star Peter Facinelli, took the plunge in a sexy Marc Bouwer gown.

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto

Freida Pinto looks pretty in pink as she arrived on the arm of beau Dev Patel for the awards show.

Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler kept with the theme of the night -- a black dress! The comedian looked sleek in her Zuhair Murad gown with soft makeup and her hair in loose waves.

Giuliana Rancic

E! host Giuliana Rancic added a splash of color to the SAGs red carpet in a blue Max Azria Atelier gown.

Julia Stiles

Julia Stiles looked glowing -- and very mature -- in her Amen Couture dress on the SAG red carpet.

Carmen Electra

Carmen Electra looked very Hollywood glam at the 2013 SAG Awards as she donned a navy mermaid-style gown with her blonde tresses neatly in a side part.

Kelly Osbourne

"Fashion Police" host Kelly Osbourne was all smiles in her Jenny Packham gown. The E! host kept it on trend wearing the popular shade of the night ... black!

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