| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Coxon Fund by Henry James: the bright young American. Her account of the introduction I had
in its order, but before that, very late in the season, under
Gravener's auspices, I met Miss Anvoy at tea at the House of
Commons. The member for Clockborough had gathered a group of
pretty ladies, and the Mulvilles were not of the party. On the
great terrace, as I strolled off with her a little, the guest of
honour immediately exclaimed to me: "I've seen him, you know--I've
seen him!" She told me about Saltram's call.
"And how did you find him?"
"Oh so strange!"
"You didn't like him?"
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Phaedrus by Plato: improvement of the mind. The increasing sense of the greatness and
infinity of nature will tend to awaken in men larger and more liberal
thoughts. The love of mankind may be the source of a greater development
of literature than nationality has ever been. There may be a greater
freedom from prejudice and party; we may better understand the whereabouts
of truth, and therefore there may be more success and fewer failures in the
search for it. Lastly, in the coming ages we shall carry with us the
recollection of the past, in which are necessarily contained many seeds of
revival and renaissance in the future. So far is the world from becoming
exhausted, so groundless is the fear that literature will ever die out.
PHAEDRUS
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