| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Oakdale Affair by Edgar Rice Burroughs: The girl made a half gesture of denial, started to speak,
hesitated and then resumed. "I would rather not say
who I am, please," she said.
"Well," said the man, "let's take one another at face
value for a while, without digging too deep into the
past; and now for our plans. This wood will be searched;
but I don't see how we are to get out of it before dark as
the roads are doubtless pretty well patrolled, or at least
every farmer is on the lookout for suspicious strangers.
So we might as well make the best of it here for the
rest of the day. I think we're reasonably safe for the
The Oakdale Affair |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: didn't distress me any. That other book talks too much."
Molly was scandalized, and she told him it was a great work.
"Oh, yes, yes. A fine book. But it will keep up its talkin'.
Don't let you alone."
"Didn't you feel sorry for poor Maggie Tulliver?"
"Hmp. Yes. Sorry for her, and for Tawmmy, too. But the man did
right to drownd 'em both."
"It wasn't a man. A woman wrote that."
"A woman did! Well, then, o' course she talks too much."
"I'll not go riding with you!" shrieked Molly.
But she did. And he returned to Sunk Creek, not with a detective
The Virginian |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: in the splendid revelation of a glittering, soulless universe. I
hate such skies. Daylight is friendly to man toiling under a sun
which warms his heart; and cloudy soft nights are more kindly to our
littleness. I nearly ran back again to my lighted parlour; Fyne
fussing in a knicker-bocker suit before the hosts of heaven, on a
shadowy earth, about a transient, phantom-like girl, seemed too
ridiculous to associate with. On the other hand there was something
fascinating in the very absurdity. He cut along in his best
pedestrian style and I found myself let in for a spell of severe
exercise at eleven o'clock at night.
In the distance over the fields and trees smudging and blotching the
Chance |
