| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Daisy Miller by Henry James: I guess he'll stay at home with Randolph if mother does, and then
we can go to the castle."
Winterbourne reflected for an instant as lucidly as possible--
"we" could only mean Miss Daisy Miller and himself.
This program seemed almost too agreeable for credence;
he felt as if he ought to kiss the young lady's hand.
Possibly he would have done so and quite spoiled the project,
but at this moment another person, presumably Eugenio, appeared.
A tall, handsome man, with superb whiskers, wearing a velvet
morning coat and a brilliant watch chain, approached Miss Miller,
looking sharply at her companion. "Oh, Eugenio!" said Miss
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Monsignor; once he took Burne, with great success, for he took
equal pride and delight in displaying them to each other.
Monsignor took him several times to see Thornton Hancock, and
once or twice to the house of a Mrs. Lawrence, a type of
Rome-haunting American whom Amory liked immediately.
Then one day came a letter from Monsignor, which appended an
interesting P. S.:
"Do you know," it ran, "that your third cousin, Clara Page,
widowed six months and very poor, is living in Philadelphia? I
don't think you've ever met her, but I wish, as a favor to me,
you'd go to see her. To my mind, she's rather a remarkable woman,
This Side of Paradise |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: Henry only smiled. "I am sure it is quite
unnecessary upon your sister's account and mine.
You must know it to be so; and the general made such a
point of your providing nothing extraordinary: besides,
if he had not said half so much as he did, he has
always such an excellent dinner at home, that sitting
down to a middling one for one day could not signify."
"I wish I could reason like you, for his sake and my own.
Good-bye. As tomorrow is Sunday, Eleanor, I shall not return."
He went; and, it being at any time a much simpler
operation to Catherine to doubt her own judgment than
Northanger Abbey |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Awakening & Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin: herself, to have Gouvernail visit them again. Her husband was
surprised and delighted with the suggestion coming from her.
"I am glad, chere amie, to know that you have finally overcome
your dislike for him; truly he did not deserve it."
"Oh," she told him, laughingly, after pressing a long, tender
kiss upon his lips, "I have overcome everything! you will see.
This time I shall be very nice to him."
The Kiss
It was still quite light out of doors, but inside with the
curtains drawn and the smouldering fire sending out a dim,
uncertain glow, the room was full of deep shadows.
Awakening & Selected Short Stories |
