the most famous name in literature

[cacian]

"In America, too. "They were the worst of Times, they were the best of time." Okay . . . maybe not lots, just that one."

Is this a quote?

What is that the first line of? (It looks like a misquotation from the English novel, "Tale of Two Cities" but is it also the start of an American novel?)

A misquotation?!

[Whifflingpin]

"Whiff'n: What is that the first line of? (It looks like a misquotation from the English novel, "Tale of Two Cities" but is it also the start of an American novel?)

Cacian: A misquotation?!"

Tale of Two Cities has
"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..."

[Atomic]

Not all of these are the most 'famous' names in literature, but they burrow into the memory and never leave;

Mary Poppins
Titus Groan
Raskolnikov
Frankenstein (despite the average person misattributing this name to Frankenstein's monster)
Alice
Macbeth, Othello, Lear, Hamlet etc.
Sophie (from Sophie's choice)
Lolita (the derranged narrator's nickname for Dolores Haze)
Judy Blume

And I listed a song, a libretto, a ballad, and an out-of-this world poem.

I'll take my list over most of what's been listed so far.

I'd rather watch a Shakespeare play than read it, which is only second best, and if performance isn't your strong point maybe a busking stint will wake you up

(not necessarily at StLukes)

Some of Shakespeare's more convoluted plays, such as King Lear, fare better on paper than on the stage imo.

[cacian]

"Whiff'n: What is that the first line of? (It looks like a misquotation from the English novel, "Tale of Two Cities" but is it also the start of an American novel?)

Cacian: A misquotation?!"

Tale of Two Cities has
"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..."

Thank you Whifflingpin!
May I ask who is that painting of in your avatar?

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

It's Jesus. The most famous name in literature is Jesus.

[cacian]

It's Jesus. The most famous name in literature is Jesus.

Not Judas? I mean his death was rather contreversial is it not?

[Whifflingpin]

"Thank you Whifflingpin!
May I ask who is that painting of in your avatar?"

Niccolo Machiavelli - a man of sense and discernment, and, if his portrait does not lie, than a person of great sympathies and good humour.
Also, a more famous name in literature than some of those already mentioned, expecially since he is supposed to have lent his name, as Old Nick, to the Prince of Darkness himself.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Let me clarify this.

depends what your definition of "famous" is

what other book starts with as famous a line as "call me Ishmael"

what about the "protagonist" of ellison's "Invisible Man" who never has a name

Outside of America - lots.

In America, too. "They were the worst of Times, they were the best of time." Okay . . . maybe not lots, just that one.

No one said anything about American novels exclusively. Tscherff asks what could be a more famous line than "Call me Ishmael." Mark says, "Outside of America - lots." All he is saying is that outside of America there are more popular starting lines than that book (implying the only reason that it is the most popular line here is because it was written here, which is most likely true). I said, since Mark said "outside," "In America, too," and then gave an example of a book that may have a more popular starting line than Moby Dick. A novel being written by an American was never an issue--the subject was the fame of starting lines in America in contrast with the rest of the world, regardless of where the author was from.

I think the problem here was a lapse in reading comprehension.

[Delta40]

Penny Jordan (Mills & Boon) for sure! lol

[Whifflingpin]

"I think the problem here was a lapse in reading comprehension. "

Yup! it goes with my age - more lapse than comprehension, most of the time.

[Darcy88]

Shakespeare, Dickens, Dante, Homer, Paul, Plato. There's a few I'm sure have already been mentioned.

[cacian]

"Thank you Whifflingpin!
May I ask who is that painting of in your avatar?"

Niccolo Machiavelli - a man of sense and discernment, and, if his portrait does not lie, than a person of great sympathies and good humour.
Also, a more famous name in literature than some of those already mentioned, expecially since he is supposed to have lent his name, as Old Nick, to the Prince of Darkness himself.

Thank you Whifflingpin

[cacian]

Interesting no one mentioned Cleopatra or Julius Ceasar.

[Mona_Marlow]

Author or character?

Author: Shakespeare

Character: Romeo / Hamlet

[aliengirl]

To be honest, I wanted to do something out of Ramayana, Vishnu or something, but couldn't choose one whose name was standoutish enough, or easily spelled by me without having to look something up.

The most famous persons in non-European lietarature (Taking a cue from JBI)-

Indian classics - The last two avatars of Vishnu namely Rama and Krishna. Other famous male characters include the five Pandava Brothers (Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula, Sahdev, Arjuna) and their teacher Dronacharya. Shiva stands on his own; he never needed avatars. Among the females Sita, Draupadi, Kunti, and Savitri immediately come to mind.

Persian classics - From whatever I've read the trio of Khusroo Pervez, Shirin, and Farhad is the most famous, not only in Persian but in Urdu and Turkish as well. Can't recall a single Urdu poet who has not mentioned them and in Turkish Orhan Pamuk often makes reference to them.