> Received editorial wisdom these days is that you have at most 100 words to capture the reader's attention What's weird about this is how I find Jane Austen's

> Received editorial wisdom these days is that you have at most 100 words to capture the reader's attention What's weird about this is how I find Jane Austen's intros catch my attention, although they often have only tangential relation to the actual characters or plot of the book. The first chapter of Persuasion is about a vain, foolish, impoverished baronet whose primary comfort when he's down is to see his own name written in the massive tome of nobility. The main character is barely mentioned until the end of the chapter. But for some reason, I've always found it strangely engaging. Why do I care about this guy? But for some reason, I do -- at least, I'm hooked long enough to get to the actually interesting characters.