Question

whats a good, generic essay intro paragraph for a novel?

Answer 1

No such thing. Each novel is unique and therefore no generic introductory paragraph for an essay exists. Also, it depends on what type of essay you're writing.

Answer 2

is there a good essay intro template that can be easily followed?

Answer 3

Here's a pretty basic one with everything you absolutely need:

First sentence: Topic Sentence that answers the essay question and shows your judgement argument on the question, try to use the words of the question.

For example I wrote an essay answering "How effectively have the texts you have studied for your elective After the Bomb challenged the dominant ways of thinking of the time in which they were composed?"

My topic sentence was "The texts of the ‘after the bomb’ period greatly challenged the dominant ways of thinking of the time as a result of of the great paradigm shifts amongst the intellectual and academic elite during the Cold War era (1945-1991)"

Then you can go on to further explain your argument e.g. "Both radically controversial and socially conservative texts were produced that reflected the clash of different ideologies that were prominent during the era."

This is the only intro I have in my computer but when referencing a single novel you'd still use that form, make sure you introduce your novel and author in the first two sentences and engage with the novel and the question in your intro. Teachers love that.

Then go on to outline the arguments or thematic points you are going to make in each of your paragraphs, try not to list them outright but flow them into the intro e.g. " The questioning of the absolute power of bureaucracy (PARAGRAPH 1) , the loss and gain of religious belief (PARA 2), the importance of maintaining a facade of the American dream that was impossible to achieve in reality (PARA 3), as well as the critique of America’s belief in its own innocence in its past sins (PARA 4), are all challenged in these texts."

Then finish it off by linking your argument back to the question yet again. "The extent to which this is effective varies, as some texts support the dominant ideologies of the time, however the majority of composers attempt to reform the negative sides of the prominent values of the time."

Here's my full intro for this essay, however it's a bit more complicated than needs be. It can be used as a scaffold of sorts though.

The texts of the ‘after the bomb’ period greatly challenged the dominant ways of thinking of the time as a result of of the great paradigm shifts amongst the intellectual and academic elite during the Cold War era (1945-1991). Both radically controversial and socially conservative texts were produced that reflected the clash of different ideologies that were prominent during the era. Texts of the time such as Richard Condon’s Manchurian Candidate (1959), Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 (1961) and John Hersey’s Hiroshima all challenged the paranoia and idiosyncrasies of the context in which they were released. Contemporary texts, such as Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men (2007) question the thinking of the Cold War era with the hindsight that allows it to critique the prior modes of thinking with knowledge of its outcomes. The questioning of the absolute power of bureaucracy, the loss and gain of religious belief, the importance of maintaining a facade of the American dream that was impossible to achieve in reality, as well as the critique of America’s belief in its own innocence in its past sins, are all challenged in these texts. The extent to which this is effective varies, as some texts support the dominant ideologies of the time, however the majority of composers attempt to reform the negative sides of the prominent values of the time.