| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: Falworth and Easterbridge, who, though having no part in the
plot, suffered through it ruin, utter and complete.
He had been a faithful counsellor and adviser to King Richard,
and perhaps it was this, as much and more than his roundabout
connection with the plot, that brought upon him the punishment he
suffered.
CHAPTER I
Myles Falworth was but eight years of age at that time, and it
was only afterwards, and when he grew old enough to know more of
the ins and outs of the matter, that he could remember by bits
and pieces the things that afterwards happened; how one evening a
Men of Iron |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll: A little provoked, she drew back, and after looking everywhere
for the queen (whom she spied out at last, a long way off), she
thought she would try the plan, this time, of walking in the
opposite direction.
It succeeded beautifully. She had not been walking a minute
before she found herself face to face with the Red Queen, and
full in sight of the hill she had been so long aiming at.
`Where do you come from?' said the Red Queen. `And where are
you going? Look up, speak nicely, and don't twiddle your fingers
all the time.'
Alice attended to all these directions, and explained, as well
Through the Looking-Glass |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells: was it ? 'Not being the other gentleman, you know!' No point in
it. And 'GENTLEMAN!' What COULD she be thinking of him?
But really the Young Lady in Grey had dismissed Hoopdriver from
her thoughts almost before he had vanished round the corner. She
had thought no ill of him. His manifest awe and admiration of her
had given her not an atom of offence. But for her just now there
were weightier things to think about, things that would affect
all the rest of her life. She continued slowly walking her
machine Londonward. Presently she stopped. "Oh! Why DOESN'T he
come?" she said, and stamped her foot petulantly. Then, as if in
answer, coming down the hill among the trees, appeared the other
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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 Tono Bungay by H. G. Wells: novel-writing age, and here I am writing mine--my one
novel--without having any of the discipline to refrain and omit
that I suppose the regular novel-writer acquires.
I've read an average share of novels and made some starts before
this beginning, and I've found the restraints and rules of the
art (as I made them out) impossible for me. I like to write, I
am keenly interested in writing, but it is not my technique.
I'm an engineer with a patent or two and a set of ideas; most of
whatever artist there is in me has been given to turbine machines
and boat building and the problem of flying, and do what I will I
fail to see how I can be other than a lax, undisciplined
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