| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Camille by Alexandre Dumas: her thoughts, of the key to her room which I had in my pocket,
and of my right to use this key, I was satisfied with life, proud
of myself, and I loved God because he had let such things be.
One day a young man is passing in the street, he brushes against
a woman, looks at her, turns, goes on his way. He does not know
the woman, and she has pleasures, griefs, loves, in which he has
no part. He does not exist for her, and perhaps, if he spoke to
her, she would only laugh at him, as Marguerite had laughed at
me. Weeks, months, years pass, and all at once, when they have
each followed their fate along a different path, the logic of
chance brings them face to face. The woman becomes the man's
Camille |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Menexenus by Plato: done and suffered. After this there was perfect peace, and the city had
rest; and her feeling was that she forgave the barbarians, who had severely
suffered at her hands and severely retaliated, but that she was indignant
at the ingratitude of the Hellenes, when she remembered how they had
received good from her and returned evil, having made common cause with the
barbarians, depriving her of the ships which had once been their salvation,
and dismantling our walls, which had preserved their own from falling. She
thought that she would no longer defend the Hellenes, when enslaved either
by one another or by the barbarians, and did accordingly. This was our
feeling, while the Lacedaemonians were thinking that we who were the
champions of liberty had fallen, and that their business was to subject the
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: jealous, for himself partly, partly more probably for his work, for his
point of view, for his science; and therefore he was not entirely open-
minded or altogether fair, for Mr Tansley seemed to be saying, You have
wasted your lives. You are all of you wrong. Poor old fogies, you're
hopelessly behind the times. He seemed to be rather cocksure, this
young man; and his manners were bad. But Mr Bankes bade himself
observe, he had courage; he had ability; he was extremely well up in
the facts. Probably, Mr Bankes thought, as Tansley abused the
government, there is a good deal in what he says.
"Tell me now..." he said. So they argued about politics, and Lily
looked at the leaf on the table-cloth; and Mrs Ramsay, leaving the
To the Lighthouse |
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 The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells: I strolled back to the doorway, then to the corner again,
and so began pacing to and fro like a sentinel upon duty.
Once I was arrested by the distant voice of Montgomery bawling,
"Coo-ee--Moreau!" My arm became less painful, but very hot.
I got feverish and thirsty. My shadow grew shorter.
I watched the distant figure until it went away again. Would Moreau
and Montgomery never return? Three sea-birds began fighting for some
stranded treasure.
Then from far away behind the enclosure I heard a pistol-shot. A
long silence, and then came another. Then a yelling cry nearer,
and another dismal gap of silence. My unfortunate imagination
The Island of Doctor Moreau |
