Original artwork, not a still
Catch-22 • 1961
It was love at first sight.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line sets a trap: a war novel opens like a romance, and the object of the love turns out to be a puzzled army chaplain. That swerve tells you the book will treat bureaucracy and madness with deadpan comedy. It is a favourite among writers for its opening nerve, and one of the most quoted first sentences of the twentieth century.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Catch-22Show the scene
These are the first words of the novel, and they are about a chaplain. Captain Yossarian is lying in a military hospital in Italy, pretending to have a liver complaint so that he need not fly more bombing missions. The sentence goes on to say that the first time he saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him, and the novel's loop-the-loop narration begins from there. Joseph Heller's debut was first published in 1961.
Sources (2)
- Catch-22 (Wikiquote)Quotes, Chapter 1Reference checked
- Catch-22 (Wikipedia)Lead and SynopsisReference checked
Context reviewed
