| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure,
and would not open his lips till he believed himself to have
attained it. The pause was to Elizabeth's feelings dreadful. At
length, with a voice of forced calmness, he said:
"And this is the reply which I am to have the honour of
expecting: I might, perhaps, wish to be informed why, with so
little ENDEAVOUR at civility, I am thus rejected. But it is of
small importance."
"I might as well inquire," replied she, " why with so evident a
desire of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that
you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even
Pride and Prejudice |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Manon Lescaut by Abbe Prevost: drove, by his orders, towards St. Denis.
My brother embraced me most affectionately, but during our ride,
he uttered not a word, so that, as I was not inclined for
conversation, I had as much leisure as I could desire to reflect
upon my misfortunes.
III
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
And not their appetites.
SHAKESPEARE.
"The whole affair was so involved in obscurity that I could not
see my way even to a reasonable conjecture. I was cruelly
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: the dance tunes all day. When supper was late, she hurried
with her dishes, dropped and smashed them in her excitement.
At the first call of the music, she became irresponsible.
If she hadn't time to dress, she merely flung off her apron
and shot out of the kitchen door. Sometimes I went with her;
the moment the lighted tent came into view she would break into
a run, like a boy. There were always partners waiting for her;
she began to dance before she got her breath.
Antonia's success at the tent had its consequences.
The iceman lingered too long now, when he came into the
covered porch to fill the refrigerator. The delivery boys
My Antonia |
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 Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: l-l-liquidate; and then Gr-Gr-Grandet will see what he c-c-can do.
B-b-better liquidate than l-let the l-l-law st-st-stick its n-n-nose
in. Hein? isn't it so?"
"Exactly so," said the president.
"B-because, don't you see, Monsieur de B-Bonfons, a man must l-l-look
b-b-before he l-leaps. If you c-c-can't, you c-c-can't. M-m-must know
all about the m-m-matter, all the resources and the debts, if you
d-d-don't want to be r-r-ruined. Hein? isn't it so?"
"Certainly," said the president. "I'm of opinion that in a few months
the debts might be bought up for a certain sum, and then paid in full
by an agreement. Ha! ha! you can coax a dog a long way if you show him
Eugenie Grandet |
