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Charles Dickens: A Good Opening Sentence

In a separate article I have explained what constitutes ‘a good opening sentence.’ I basically said that the opening sentence must direct the reader to the subject under discussion; it must be done directly and in a matter-of-fact style—no beating around the bush.

In Charles Dickens’s preface to his novel A Tale of Two Cities, I was impressed by the simplicity and straight-forwardness of his opening sentence:

When I was acting, with my children and friends, in Mr. Wilkie Collins’s drama of The Frozen Deep, I first conceived the main idea of this story [A Tale of Two Cities].

Because Dickens intended to write a brief preface to a lengthy work, Dickens had to economize his words and make his point right away. And he did.

Note that though the opening sentence contains a few incidentals, they serve to clarify the main idea of what his novel A Tale of Two Cities was about. He tells the how, when, and in what precise instant that literary epiphany take place.

Having stated his momentous inspiration, Dickens goes on to tell us other details; how the idea took possession of him, and his personal feelings on suffering, etc. Let’s read the whole preface:

When I was acting, with my children and friends, in Mr. Wilkie Collins’s drama of The Frozen Deep, I first conceived the main idea of this story. A strong desire was upon me then, to embody it in my own person, and I traced out in my fancy, the state of mind of which it would necessitate the presentation to an observant spectator, with particular care and interest.

As the idea became familiar to me, it gradually shaped itself into its present form. Throughout its execution it has had complete possession of me; I have so far verified what is done and suffered in these pages, as that I have certainly done and suffered it all myself.

Whenever any reference (however slight) is made here to the condition of the French people before, or during the Revolution, it is truly made on the faith of the most trustworthy witnesses. It has been one of my hopes to add something to the popular and picturesque means of understanding that terrible time, though no one can hope to add anything to the philosophy of Mr. Carlyle’s wonderful book.

Charles Dickens, London, 1859.

A good opening sentence must do the heavy lifting in introducing a subject. The more thought it goes into it, the more care and interest the writer takes in crafting it, the more powerful it will become.

As I have said elsewhere, “the opening sentence besides being to the point, it must show an attitude. And while it shouldn’t be profane, extremely shocking, blatantly offensive—it should be provocative and controversial, or maybe even humorous.”

Related articles

• A Good Opening Sentence (sentenceopeners.com)
• Key Sentence and Key Sentences (sentenceopeners.com)