| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: All, however, were oppressed with the same anxiety; it was feared that
the Barbarians, seeing themselves so strong, might take a fancy to
stay. But they were leaving with so much good faith that the
Carthaginians grew bold and mingled with the soldiers. They
overwhelmed them with protestations and embraces. Some with
exaggerated politeness and audacious hypocrisy even sought to induce
them not to leave the city. They threw perfumes, flowers, and pieces
of silver to them. They gave them amulets to avert sickness; but they
had spit upon them three times to attract death, or had enclosed
jackal's hair within them to put cowardice into their hearts. Aloud,
they invoked Melkarth's favour, and in a whisper, his curse.
Salammbo |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy: between Farfrae and his charmer.
One day Henchard was at this spot when a masculine figure
came along the road from Budmouth, and lingered. Applying
his telescope to his eye Henchard expected that Farfrae's
features would be disclosed as usual. But the lenses
revealed that today the man was not Elizabeth-Jane's lover.
It was one clothed as a merchant captain, and as he turned
in the scrutiny of the road he revealed his face. Henchard
lived a lifetime the moment he saw it. The face was
Newson's.
Henchard dropped the glass, and for some seconds made no
The Mayor of Casterbridge |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Letters from England by Elizabeth Davis Bancroft: remembrance than from the noble mansions and rich estates which
feast the eye.
On Monday morning we left Newby for York on our way home. It so
happened that the judges were to open the court that very morning,
on which occasion they always breakfast with the Lord Mayor in their
scarlet robes and wigs, the Lord Mayor and aldermen are also in
their furred scarlet robes and the Lady Mayoress presents the judges
with enormous bouquets of the richest flowers. We were invited to
this breakfast, and I found it very entertaining. I was next the
High Sheriff, who was very desirous that we should stay a few hours
and go to the castle and see the court opened and listen to a case
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