| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Emma by Jane Austen: I never shall forget his manner. And when I brought out the baked
apples from the closet, and hoped our friends would be so very
obliging as to take some, `Oh!' said he directly, `there is nothing
in the way of fruit half so good, and these are the finest-looking
home-baked apples I ever saw in my life.' That, you know, was so
very. . . . And I am sure, by his manner, it was no compliment.
Indeed they are very delightful apples, and Mrs. Wallis does them
full justice--only we do not have them baked more than twice,
and Mr. Woodhouse made us promise to have them done three times--
but Miss Woodhouse will be so good as not to mention it. The apples
themselves are the very finest sort for baking, beyond a doubt;
Emma |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells: that have been made from it; and beyond that the interest
of their physiology and structure is purely scientific.
A question of graver and universal interest is the possi-
bility of another attack from the Martians. I do not think
that nearly enough attention is being given to this aspect
of the matter. At present the planet Mars is in conjunction,
but with every return to opposition I, for one, anticipate
a renewal of their adventure. In any case, we should be
prepared. It seems to me that it should be possible to define
the position of the gun from which the shots are discharged,
to keep a sustained watch upon this part of the planet, and
War of the Worlds |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Russia in 1919 by Arthur Ransome: of libraries had enormously increased. Physically workmen
lived in far worse conditions than in 1912, but as far as their
spiritual welfare was concerned there could be no
comparison. Places like the famous Yar restaurant,
where once the rich went to amuse themselves with
orgies of feeding and drinking and flirting
with gypsies, were now made into working men's clubs
and theatres, where every working man had a right to go.
As for the demand for literature from the provinces, it was
far beyond the utmost efforts of the presses and the paper
stores to supply.
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