| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Alec's still form. Then he extinguished the lights and motioned
them to follow him. As they walked into the elevator Amory
considered a piece of bravadoyielded finally. He reached out and
tapped Olson on the arm.
"Would you mind taking off your hat? There's a lady in the
elevator."
Olson's hat came off slowly. There was a rather embarrassing two
minutes under the lights of the lobby while the night clerk and a
few belated guests stared at them curiously; the loudly dressed
girl with bent head, the handsome young man with his chin several
points aloft; the inference was quite obvious. Then the chill
This Side of Paradise |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Collection of Antiquities by Honore de Balzac: "See how she has prepared herself," Rastignac said, turning to de
Marsay. "What a virginal toilette; what swan's grace in that snow-
white throat of hers! How white her gown is, and she is wearing a sash
like a little girl; she looks round like a madonna inviolate. Who
would think that you had passed that way?"
"The very reason why she looks as she does," returned de Marsay, with
a triumphant air.
The two young men exchanged a smile. Mme. de Maufrigneuse saw the
smile and guessed at their conversation, and gave the pair a broadside
of her eyes, an art acquired by Frenchwomen since the Peace, when
Englishwomen imported it into this country, together with the shape of
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: He had begun sitting up again, coughing, had begun eating again,
talking again, and again had ceased to talk of death, again had
begun to express hope of his recovery, and had become more
irritable and more gloomy than ever. No one, neither his brother
nor Kitty, could soothe him. He was angry with every one, and
said nasty things to every one, reproached every one for his
sufferings, and insisted that they should get him a celebrated
doctor from Moscow. To all inquiries made him as to how he felt,
he made the same answer with an expression of vindictive
reproachfulness, "I'm suffering horribly, intolerably!"
The sick man was suffering more and more, especially from
Anna Karenina |
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 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: was unsettled, and I wandered many hours round the confines of the
town, uncertain what path I should pursue. As night approached I
found myself at the entrance of the cemetery where William,
Elizabeth, and my father reposed. I entered it and approached the
tomb which marked their graves. Everything was silent except the
leaves of the trees, which were gently agitated by the wind; the
night was nearly dark, and the scene would have been solemn and
affecting even to an uninterested observer. The spirits of the
departed seemed to flit around and to cast a shadow, which was felt
but not seen, around the head of the mourner.
The deep grief which this scene had at first excited quickly gave
Frankenstein |
