Compare The Opening of Two Novels The English Patient- Michael Ondaatje Captain Corelli's Mandolin- Louis de Bernieres

The opening of Captain Corelli's is about a Dr Iannis and tells the reader a little about his job, family, and the island he lives on. The purpose this opening is that it allows two of the main characters (Dr Iannis and Pelagia) to be introduced, and also through Dr Iannis' writing we are introduced to the history of the island, and also perhaps its future "the recurrent danger of cataclysmic earthquakes." The English Patient …

…noted, "its surface was slightly wrinkled," these are the details that Dr Iannis notices, and help develop him into a three dimensional character. In the English Patient there are also abstract details given, however I think these are there to remove the focus from important parts of the patients' memories, so that the reader remains distanced. This is reinforced by the more formal dictation in The English Patient- it isn't as 'friendly' as Captain Corelli.