| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Memories and Portraits by Robert Louis Stevenson: illusion would be dispelled. For while he holds all the poor
little orthodoxies of the day - no poorer and no smaller than those
of yesterday or to-morrow, poor and small, indeed, only so far as
they are exclusive - the living quality of much that he has done is
of a contrary, I had almost said of a heretical, complexion. A
man, as I read him, of an originally strong romantic bent - a
certain glow of romance still resides in many of his books, and
lends them their distinction. As by accident he runs out and
revels in the exceptional; and it is then, as often as not, that
his reader rejoices - justly, as I contend. For in all this
excessive eagerness to be centrally human, is there not one central
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw: you and me and the man-woman or woman-man or whatever you call her
that came with you. They never do anything: they only discuss
whether what other people do is right. Come and give them something
to discuss.
PERCIVAL. I will do nothing incorrect.
HYPATIA. Oh, dont be afraid, little boy: youll get nothing but a
kiss; and I'll fight like the devil to keep you from getting that.
But we must play on the hill and race through the heather.
PERCIVAL. Why?
HYPATIA. Because we want to, handsome young man.
PERCIVAL. But if everybody went on in this way--
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Aspern Papers by Henry James: "Miss Bordereau requested her to say that she could not imagine what
he meant by troubling them. They had none of Mr. Aspern's papers,
and if they had should never think of showing them to anyone
on any account whatever. She didn't know what he was talking
about and begged he would let her alone." I certainly did not want
to be met that way.
"Well," said Mrs. Prest after a moment, provokingly, "perhaps after all they
haven't any of his things. If they deny it flat how are you sure?"
"John Cumnor is sure, and it would take me long to tell
you how his conviction, or his very strong presumption--
strong enough to stand against the old lady's not unnatural fib--
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