| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: found him. The doctor there talked of a slight heatstroke.
Nothing very much. Out in three days. . . . It must be admitted
that the doctor was right. In three days, Jasper Allen came out of
the hospital and became visible to the town - very visible indeed -
and remained so for quite a long time; long enough to become almost
one of the sights of the place; long enough to become disregarded
at last; long enough for the tale of his haunting visibility to be
remembered in the islands to this day.
The talk on the "front" and Jasper's appearance in the Orange House
stand at the beginning of the famous Bonito case, and give a view
of its two aspects - the practical and the psychological. The case
'Twixt Land & Sea |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Jolly Corner by Henry James: effects of perspective; putting down his dim luminary he could
still wander on without it, pass into other rooms and, only knowing
it was there behind him in case of need, see his way about,
visually project for his purpose a comparative clearness. It made
him feel, this acquired faculty, like some monstrous stealthy cat;
he wondered if he would have glared at these moments with large
shining yellow eyes, and what it mightn't verily be, for the poor
hard-pressed ALTER EGO, to be confronted with such a type.
He liked however the open shutters; he opened everywhere those Mrs.
Muldoon had closed, closing them as carefully afterwards, so that
she shouldn't notice: he liked - oh this he did like, and above
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