| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Ion by Plato: imparts to them a similar power of attracting other rings; and sometimes
you may see a number of pieces of iron and rings suspended from one another
so as to form quite a long chain: and all of them derive their power of
suspension from the original stone. In like manner the Muse first of all
inspires men herself; and from these inspired persons a chain of other
persons is suspended, who take the inspiration. For all good poets, epic
as well as lyric, compose their beautiful poems not by art, but because
they are inspired and possessed. And as the Corybantian revellers when
they dance are not in their right mind, so the lyric poets are not in their
right mind when they are composing their beautiful strains: but when
falling under the power of music and metre they are inspired and possessed;
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Europeans by Henry James: "Father," she murmured, "consent!"
Mr. Brand heard her; he looked away. Mr. Wentworth, evidently,
had no imagination at all. "I have always thought,"
he began, slowly, "that Gertrude's character required a special
line of development."
"Father," repeated Charlotte, "consent."
Then, at last, Mr. Brand looked at her. Her father felt
her leaning more heavily upon his folded arm than she had
ever done before; and this, with a certain sweet faintness
in her voice, made him wonder what was the matter.
He looked down at her and saw the encounter of her gaze
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells: by virtue of this seclusion. When at length the
moment of his release arrived, it found him prepared.
Howard's bearing went far to deepen Graham's
impression of his own strange importance; the door
between its opening and closing seemed to admit with
him a breath of momentous happening. His enquiries
became more definite and searching. Howard
retreated through protests and difficulties. The awakening
was unforeseen, he repeated; it happened to
have fallen in with the trend of a social convulsion.
"To explain it I must tell you the history of a gross
When the Sleeper Wakes |
