The Hook: First Sentences of Frankenstein
Kaylynn Charbonneau
First Sentences Exercise
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend as they say. When you get engaged, you start out with a beautiful ring that catches everyone’s eye. The same can be said about writing. You want to start out by engaging your reader and getting them excited by beginning with an extravagant statement. Such is true with the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly.
"You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings." This sentence starts the novel with a bang. Between the word choice and the verbiage, it had me immediately want to keep reading and my thoughts were racing trying to guess what the story was about. These few words were the diamond that made me say yes, I have to read this book.
From the very first sentence in this book, I was hooked. The word choice in this sentence is superb, the vocabulary transports me to another world that could only exist centuries ago. It made me feel like I am on this journey with him verses the one reading the letter. I wanted to know about his risky endeavors that his family was worried about. Not only that but I wanted to live this journey with him. I wanted to keep reading because he seems relieved to inform his sister that everything is going well and she was wrong. But knowing how books go, I'm sure that will change.
Imagine a dangerous journey, a mission that your family doesn't want you to go on. One surrounded by bad predictions and an overall sense of doom. That's all I could picture when I first read the starting sentence. I can just imagine that this book will be full of adventure and possibly misfortune on a journey that the main character will be on. I expect a lot of twists, turns, and obstacles that every good book should have.
First sentences are crucial and can be the star of the book if written properly. They can make the book stand out and shine, just like a diamond ring. It can set up the
First Sentences Exercise
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend as they say. When you get engaged, you start out with a beautiful ring that catches everyone’s eye. The same can be said about writing. You want to start out by engaging your reader and getting them excited by beginning with an extravagant statement. Such is true with the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly.
"You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings." This sentence starts the novel with a bang. Between the word choice and the verbiage, it had me immediately want to keep reading and my thoughts were racing trying to guess what the story was about. These few words were the diamond that made me say yes, I have to read this book.
From the very first sentence in this book, I was hooked. The word choice in this sentence is superb, the vocabulary transports me to another world that could only exist centuries ago. It made me feel like I am on this journey with him verses the one reading the letter. I wanted to know about his risky endeavors that his family was worried about. Not only that but I wanted to live this journey with him. I wanted to keep reading because he seems relieved to inform his sister that everything is going well and she was wrong. But knowing how books go, I'm sure that will change.
Imagine a dangerous journey, a mission that your family doesn't want you to go on. One surrounded by bad predictions and an overall sense of doom. That's all I could picture when I first read the starting sentence. I can just imagine that this book will be full of adventure and possibly misfortune on a journey that the main character will be on. I expect a lot of twists, turns, and obstacles that every good book should have.
First sentences are crucial and can be the star of the book if written properly. They can make the book stand out and shine, just like a diamond ring. It can set up the