| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: grow up to take the first one's place." Upon that there dawned on our
hero one of the most inspired ideas which ever entered the human
brain. "What a simpleton I am!" he thought to himself. "Here am I
looking about for my mittens when all the time I have got them tucked
into my belt. Why, were I myself to buy up a few souls which are
dead--to buy them before a new revision list shall have been made, the
Council of Public Trust might pay me two hundred roubles apiece for
them, and I might find myself with, say, a capital of two hundred
thousand roubles! The present moment is particularly propitious,
since in various parts of the country there has been an epidemic, and,
glory be to God, a large number of souls have died of it. Nowadays
Dead Souls |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: know how he gained his money; neither am I aware of the means he
took to raise his mind from the savage ignorance into which it was
sunk: but, with your leave, I'll proceed in my own fashion, if you
think it will amuse and not weary you. Are you feeling better this
morning?'
'Much.'
'That's good news.'
I got Miss Catherine and myself to Thrushcross Grange; and, to my
agreeable disappointment, she behaved infinitely better than I
dared to expect. She seemed almost over-fond of Mr. Linton; and
even to his sister she showed plenty of affection. They were both
Wuthering Heights |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: of furniture, farm implements and books, which was announced to take
place on the following morning at a country rectory in Derbyshire,
some four miles from the nearest railway station.
"It was summer time--the country at its best--and with the attraction
of an old book, I decided on a day's holiday, and eight o'clock
the next morning found me in the train for C----, and after a
variation in my programme, caused by my having walked three miles
west before I discovered that my destination was three miles
east of the railway station, I arrived at the rectory at noon,
and found assembled some thirty or forty of the neighbouring farmers,
their wives, men-servants and maid-servants, all seemingly bent
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: continued to reside abroad, engaged deeply in the affair of Law's
bank during the regency of the Duke of Orleans, and was at one
time supposed to be immensely rich. But, on the bursting of that
famous bubble, he was so much chagrined at being again reduced to
a moderate annuity (although he saw thousands of his companions
in misfortune absolutely starving), that vexation of mind brought
on a paralytic stroke, of which he died, after lingering under
its effects a few weeks.
Willie of Westburnflat fled from the wrath of Hobbie Elliot, as
his betters did from the pursuit of the law. His patriotism
urged him to serve his country abroad, while his reluctance to
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