| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: excessive because, long dormant, they awoke furious. One of them,
after re-reading "Venice Preserved," and admiring the sublime union of
Pierre and Jaffier, began to reflect on the virtues shown by men who
are outlawed by society, on the honesty of galley-slaves, the
faithfulness of thieves among each other, the privileges of exorbitant
power which such men know how to win by concentrating all ideas into a
single will. He saw that Man is greater than men. He concluded that
society ought to belong wholly to those distinguished beings who, to
natural intelligence, acquired wisdom, and fortune, add a fanaticism
hot enough to fuse into one casting these different forces. That done,
their occult power, vast in action and in intensity, against which the
Ferragus |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson: even he,--any one who loved me truly, and whom I could love
only a little. I would go away with such a person anywhere, and
never trouble you and Hope any more. What shall I do? Philip,
you might tell me what to do. Once you told me always to come
to you."
"What can you do?" he asked gloomily, in return.
"I cannot imagine," she said, with a desolate look, more
pitiable than passion, on her young face. "I wish to save
Hope, and to save my--to save Mr. Lambert. Philip, you do not
love me. I do not call it love. There is no passion in your
veins; it is only a sort of sympathetic selfishness. Hope is
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: "Tis whispered that she loves the young English
artist who haunts her steps, and is spurned by the
old Count," said the lady, as they joined the dance.
The revel was at its height when a priest
appeared, and withdrawing the young pair to an alcove,
hung with purple velvet, he motioned them to kneel.
Instant silence fell on the gay throng, and not a
sound, but he dash of fountains or the rustle of
orange groves sleeping in the moonlight, broke the
hush, as Count de Adelon spoke thus:
"My lords and ladies, pardon the ruse by which
Little Women |
