| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: literary forms, it is for the purpose of making a remark that
applies to several of the Studies, and very specially to this.
Every one of his compositions has been based upon ideas more or
less novel, which, as it seemed to him, needed literary
expression; he can claim priority for certain forms and for
certain ideas which have since passed into the domain of
literature, and have there, in some instances, become common
property; so that the date of the first publication of each Study
cannot be a matter of indifference to those of his readers who
would fain do him justice.
Reading brings us unknown friends, and what friend is like a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: nothing to do but to enjoy himself. That was what a bit of good
luck did for him.
Now the princess, the daughter of the king of that town, was the
most beautiful in all the world, but so proud and haughty that
her like was not to be found within the bounds of all the seven
rivers. So proud was she and so haughty that she would neither
look upon a young man nor allow any young man to look upon her.
She was so particular that whenever she went out to take a ride a
herald was sent through the town with a trumpet ordering that
every house should be closed and that everybody should stay
within doors, so that the princess should run no risk of seeing a
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle: she might be summoned.
Sherlock Holmes sat silent for a few minutes with his fingertips
still pressed together, his legs stretched out in front of him,
and his gaze directed upward to the ceiling. Then he took down
from the rack the old and oily clay pipe, which was to him as a
counsellor, and, having lit it, he leaned back in his chair, with
the thick blue cloud-wreaths spinning up from him, and a look of
infinite languor in his face.
"Quite an interesting study, that maiden," he observed. "I found
her more interesting than her little problem, which, by the way,
is rather a trite one. You will find parallel cases, if you
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
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 When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells: possibilities of gathering from the conversation oŁ this
additional person some vague inkling of the struggle
that had broken out so vividly at his waking moment?
He meditated again, and the suggestion took colour.
He turned on Howard abruptly.
"What do you mean by company? "
Howard raised his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.
"Human beings," he said, with a curious smile on his
heavy face.
"Our social ideas," he said, "have a certain increased
liberality, perhaps, in comparison with your
When the Sleeper Wakes |
