| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: "Come, gentlemen, come!" said D'Artagnan, aloud; "I have no
motive for defending Monsieur. I saw him today for the first
time, and he can tell you on what occasion; he came to demand the
rent of my lodging. Is that not true, Monsieur Bonacieux?
Answer!"
"That is the very truth," cried the mercer; "but Monsieur does
not tell you--"
"Silence, with respect to me, silence, with respect to my
friends; silence about the queen, above all, or you will ruin
everybody without saving yourself! Come, come, gentlemen, remove
the fellow." And D'Artagnan pushed the half-stupefied mercer
The Three Musketeers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from One Basket by Edna Ferber: well go, after all. Nobody'd miss her, unless it was her father,
and he didn't see her but about a third of the time. But in
Tessie's heart was a great envy of this girl who could bridge the
hideous waste of ocean that separated her from her man. Bleeding
France. Yeh! Joke!
The Hatton place, built and landscaped twenty years before,
occupied a square block in solitary grandeur, the show place of
Chippewa. In architectural style it was an impartial mixture of
Norman castle, French chateau, and Rhenish schloss, with a dash
of Coney Island about its facade. It represented Old Man
Hatton's realized dream of landed magnificence.
One Basket |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: beating on my dark poll. I snatched off my floppy hat and tried
hurriedly in the dark to ram it on my other self. He dodged and
fended off silently. I wonder what he thought had come to me
before he understood and suddenly desisted. Our hands met
gropingly, lingered united in a steady, motionless clasp for a
second. . . . No word was breathed by either of us when they
separated.
I was standing quietly by the pantry door when the steward
returned.
"Sorry, sir. Kettle barely warm. Shall I light the spirit-lamp?"
"Never mind."
'Twixt Land & Sea |
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 A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: employed at the town-hall, who sharpened his pocket-knife on his boots
and was famous for his penmanship.
When the weather was fine, they went to Geffosses. The house was built
in the centre of the sloping yard; and the sea looked like a grey spot
in the distance. Felicite would take slices of cold meat from the
lunch basket and they would sit down and eat in a room next to the
dairy. This room was all that remained of a cottage that had been torn
down. The dilapidated wall-paper trembled in the drafts. Madame
Aubain, overwhelmed by recollections, would hang her head, while the
children were afraid to open their mouths. Then, "Why don't you go and
play?" their mother would say; and they would scamper off.
A Simple Soul |
