| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: he soared and took me with him. The peroration was magnificent,
though difficult to remember, you know. It gave me the notion
of an exotic Immensity ruled by an august Benevolence.
It made me tingle with enthusiasm. This was the unbounded
power of eloquence--of words--of burning noble words.
There were no practical hints to interrupt the magic current
of phrases, unless a kind of note at the foot of the last page,
scrawled evidently much later, in an unsteady hand, may be
regarded as the exposition of a method. It was very simple,
and at the end of that moving appeal to every altruistic
sentiment it blazed at you, luminous and terrifying, like a flash
Heart of Darkness |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Aesop's Fables by Aesop: himself flat down upon the ground, with his face in the dust. The
Bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and
sniffed and sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head
and slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat. Then the
fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and, laughing, said
"What was it that Master Bruin whispered to you?"
"He told me," said the other,
"Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch."
The Two Pots
Two Pots had been left on the bank of a river, one of brass,
and one of earthenware. When the tide rose they both floated off
Aesop's Fables |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Fisherman's Luck by Henry van Dyke: WAR, and QUO VADIS,--these are great novels because they are much
more than tales of romantic love. As for HENRY ESMOND, (which seems
to me the best of all,) certainly "love at first sight" does not
play the finest role in that book.
There are good stories of our own day--pathetic, humourous,
entertaining, powerful--in which the element of romantic love is
altogether subordinate, or even imperceptible. THE RISE OF SILAS
LAPHAM does not owe its deep interest to the engagement of the very
charming young people who enliven it. MADAME DELPHINE and OLE
'STRACTED are perfect stories of their kind. I would not barter THE
JUNGLE BOOKS for a hundred of THE BRUSHWOOD BOY.
|
