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- The first paragraph foreshadows the revelation that Merricat is the true poisoner through her comparison of herself to a werewolf, a traditionally monstrous creature, and her stated affection for poisonous mushrooms, as well as for Richard Plantagenet, who is believed to have been a poisoner as well.
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Dec 15, 2017 · During her lifetime, she wrote “The Lottery,” and The Haunting of Hill House, and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, the latter of which features what I consider to be the best first paragraph of all time, or at least of any novel that I have ever read. Here it is:
- The Editor Who Pulled Joseph Conrad From The Slush Pile
The sophistication of the narrative point of view and the...
- The Editor Who Pulled Joseph Conrad From The Slush Pile
The lead paragraph of We Have Always Lived in the Castle has been called "the best opening paragraph" of any novel. The language is described as "coercive," so much so that the reader finds it "impossible not to go on reading".
- Shirley Jackson
- 1962
- A Literary Cousin of Natalie Waite & Cassandra Mortmain
- Introducing Merricat Blackwood
- Shunned by The Villagers
- Sympathetic Magic
- Merricat and Constance
- The Perfidy of Cousin Charles
- Up in Flames
We Have Always Lived in the Castlewas well received at the time of its publication – the reception of Jackson’s books got warmer with each new one she published – and has been well-regarded ever since, generally being considered her best work. But it is strange that little attention has been paid to the similarity in title and content to Dodie Smit...
Jackson understood teenage girlsand saw how really crazy they could be. In this case, the crazy girl is the narrator so that we see the story, indeed the whole world through her rather myopic, out of focus eyes. The opening paragraph is often quoted, and rightly so, as one of the best opening paragraphs in modern fiction; it is worth quoting again....
The remaining three family members live in a large rambling house on the edge of the village (presumed to be based on the New England town of Bennington where the Jacksons lived; her husband taught at the local college, a prestigious school for girls at the time). The inhabitants of the fictional village resented the old and wealthy family, who hav...
Merricat seems to have a degree of what would now be called OCD; whenever she leaves the house she plays a superstitious kind of children’s game of gaining and losing points depending on which route she can take. “The library was my start and the black rock was my goal. I had to move down one side of Main Street, cross, and then move up the other s...
“I liked my house on the moon, and I put a fireplace in it and a garden outside (what would flourish, growing on the moon? I must ask Constance).” Constance, who is more like a loving mother than an older sister, always indulges Merricat in her fantasies. Merricat and Constance are extremely fond of each other, complementing each other perhaps to t...
The finely balanced domestic harmony is shattered when the sisters’ cousin Charles comes to visit and seems intent on staying. Merricat had already foreseen something: “All the omens spoke of change.” Change of course being the last thing that Merricat wants; she never wants to come of age. “There’s a change coming,” she says to Constance. “It’s sp...
Merricat is appalled at the way Charles brings newspapers into the house; they have no phone, never open mail and have received no news since Constance was released from prison. Another of Charles’ annoying habits for Merricat is his pipe-smoking, which leaves smell and mess in the pristine house – ever since the poisoning the two sisters have “nea...
The opening paragraphs make it clear from the outset that Merricat is not exactly a conventional person. It’s important to note that she says “all of” her family is dead, as this hints at the death of Uncle Julian much later in the book—she’s writing from some time after the end of the novel, recalling the events of this period of her ...
In this video, we take a closer look at Shirley Jackson's opening paragraph in her Gothic novella, 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle'. Understanding this short passage will...
- 9 min
- 1022
- Aimee Shattock
Dec 14, 2016 · I myself have often thought that the opening paragraph of her final published novel, We Have Always Lived In The Castle, rivals that of The Haunting in its sheer perfection. We learn everything that we need to know about Merricat in its few sentences.
The best study guide to We Have Always Lived in the Castle on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
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