| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: fleeced as d'Aldrigger had been, he still possessed an income of
forty-four thousand francs; but his mortification was further
complicated by the spleen which lies in wait for the business man so
soon as he retires from business. He set himself, noble heart, to
sacrifice himself to his wife, now that her fortune was lost, that
fortune of which she had allowed herself to be despoiled so easily,
after the manner of a girl entirely ignorant of money matters. Mme.
d'Aldrigger accordingly missed not a single pleasure to which she had
been accustomed; any void caused by the loss of Strasbourg
acquaintances were speedily filled, and more than filled, with Paris
gaieties.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: knitting black wool. The slim one got up and walked straight at me--
still knitting with downcast eyes--and only just as I began to
think of getting out of her way, as you would for a somnambulist,
stood still, and looked up. Her dress was as plain as an
umbrella-cover, and she turned round without a word and preceded
me into a waiting-room. I gave my name, and looked about.
Deal table in the middle, plain chairs all round the walls, on one
end a large shining map, marked with all the colours of a rainbow.
There was a vast amount of red--good to see at any time, because one
knows that some real work is done in there, a deuce of a lot
of blue, a little green, smears of orange, and, on the East Coast,
Heart of Darkness |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: baroness, "hoping or expecting that she will follow their wishes--
Paternal resistance being null--by reason of this fact--in the first
place--and also from its being nullified by law, it is customary--for
every sensible man--after making a final remonstrance to his child--
and before she proceeds to the respectful summons--to leave her at
liberty to--"
Monsieur Roguin stopped, perceiving that he might talk on for two
hours without obtaining any answer; he felt, moreover, a singular
emotion at the aspect of the man he was attempting to convert. An
extraordinary revolution had taken place on Piombo's face; his
wrinkles, contracting into narrow lines, gave him a look of
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