Paul Clifford

Paul Clifford

Paul Clifford is a novel published in 1830 by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton. It tells the life of Paul Clifford, a man who leads a dual life as both a criminal and an upscale gentleman. The book was successful upon its release. It is best known for its opening phrase "It was a dark and stormy night...", which helped inspire the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. The novel's opening lines also featured prominently in the writings of Snoopy in the Charles Schulz comic The Peanuts, sometimes followed by Snoopy's continuing with "Suddenly, a shot rang out."

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