| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Confidence by Henry James: and the revelation of the state of things between you and me--
which of course strikes him as incongruous; we must allow
largely for that--came to him as a sudden opportunity.
No, no," the girl went on, with a generous ardor in her face,
following further the train of her argument, which she appeared
to find extremely attractive, "I know what you are going to say
and I deny it. I am not fanciful, or sophistical, or irrational,
and I know perfectly what I am about. Men are so stupid;
it 's only women that have real discernment. Leave me alone,
and I shall do something. Blanche is silly, yes, very silly;
but she is not so bad as her husband accused her of being,
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: thoughtless folly of a young man. My dear, Thaddeus is as shrewd as
two Genoese, as eager for gain as a Polish Jew, and provident as a
good housekeeper. I never could force him to live as I did when I was
a bachelor. Sometimes I had to use a sort of friendly coercion to make
him go to the theatre with me when I was alone, or to the jovial
little dinners I used to give at a tavern. He doesn't like social
life."
"What does he like, then?" asked Clementine.
"Poland; he loves Poland and pines for it. His only spendings are sums
he gives, more in my name than in his own, to some of our poor
brother-exiles."
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence: and made them hate him.
On the Friday, he was not home by eleven o'clock. The baby
was unwell, and was restless, crying if he were put down. Mrs. Morel,
tired to death, and still weak, was scarcely under control.
"I wish the nuisance would come," she said wearily to herself.
The child at last sank down to sleep in her arms. She was
too tired to carry him to the cradle.
"But I'll say nothing, whatever time he comes," she said.
"It only works me up; I won't say anything. But I know if he does
anything it'll make my blood boil," she added to herself.
She sighed, hearing him coming, as if it were something she
Sons and Lovers |
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 Kenilworth by Walter Scott: to his glistening shoes, as precise in his apparel as if he was
named for mayor. He talks of breaking parks, and taking the
highway, in such fashion that you would think he haunted every
night betwixt Hounslow and London; when in fact he may be found
sound asleep on his feather-bed, with a candle placed beside him
on one side, and a Bible on the other, to fright away the
goblins."
"And your nephew, mine host, this same Michael Lambourne, who is
lord of the feast--is he, too, such a would-be ruffler as the
rest of them?"
"Why, there you push me hard," said the host; "my nephew is my
Kenilworth |
