Saturday, January 03, 2009

a confederacy of novels

please find for me a better starting paragraph for any novel than the following:

"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chips crumbs. In the shadow under the green visor of the cap Ignatius J. Reilly's supercilious blue and yellow eyes looked down upon the other people waiting under the clock at the D.H. Homes department store, studying the crowd of people for signs of bad taste in dress. Several of the outfits, Ignatius noticed, were new enough and expensive enough to be properly considered offenses against taste and decency. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person's lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one soul."

now, please, as quickly as possible, go and find this book and read it.

6 comments:

Dad (TMF) said...

I'm hooked. Where do I find it?

bex said...

For opening paragraphs, I have always been partial to Lorrie Moore's Anagrams, but Confederacy of Dunces has got to be one of the best books I have ever read.

Stephen said...

rebecca: write it out for us please.....

Stephen said...

dad: go here,

patty said...

Well, Stephen dad's nightstand is crowded with yet one more book. He sent for Condederacy of Dunces. I think half of the the books he is in the "middle" of reading are ones you have suggested. Right now their are 11 books in the pile and he doesn't me to move any of them.

Unknown said...

still one of my favorite novels