| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: the same reason, I am sorry that a certain prelate, who
notwithstanding his confinement (in December 1723), still
preserves his healthy, chearful countenance, cannot come in time
to be a nurse at court.
I likewise earnestly intreat the maids of honour, (then ensigns
and captains of the guard) that, at their first setting out, they
have some regard to their former station, and do not run wild
through all the infamous houses about town: That the present
grooms of the bed-chamber (then maids of honour) would not eat
chalk and lime in their green-sickness: And in general, that the
men would remember they are become retromingent, and not by
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: rich I am sure; when a man has once got his name in a banking-house he
rolls in money; but they do not know what to do with it, keep very little
company, and never go to London but on business. We shall be as stupid as
possible. I mean to win my sister-in-law's heart through the children; I
know all their names already, and am going to attach myself with the
greatest sensibility to one in particular, a young Frederic, whom I take on
my lap and sigh over for his dear uncle's sake.
Poor Mainwaring! I need not tell you how much I miss him, how
perpetually he is in my thoughts. I found a dismal letter from him on my
arrival here, full of complaints of his wife and sister, and lamentations
on the cruelty of his fate. I passed off the letter as his wife's, to the
Lady Susan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: He recognised the necessity of proceeding from
the particular to the general, and that the perfect-
ing of human institutions was impossible without
a corresponding perfection in the individual. To
this end therefore the remainder of his life was
dedicated. He had always held in aversion what
he termed external epidemic influences: he now
endeavoured to free himself not only from all
current conventions, but from every association
which he had formerly cherished. Self-analysis
and general observation had taught him that men
The Forged Coupon |
