| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: outs of the matter. I was minded to prevent such a tissue of
misfortune, so I went to the Countess a second time.
"I have noticed, madame," said Derville, turning to the Vicomtesse,
and speaking in a confidential tone, "certain moral phenomena to which
we do not pay enough attention. I am naturally an observer of human
nature, and instinctively I bring a spirit of analysis to the business
that I transact in the interest of others, when human passions are
called into lively play. Now, I have often noticed, and always with
new wonder, that two antagonists almost always divine each other's
inmost thoughts and ideas. Two enemies sometimes possess a power of
clear insight into mental processes, and read each other's minds as
Gobseck |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson: of a different order. Already he had his quick sight of many sides
of life; he already overflowed with distinctions and
generalisations, contrasting the dramatic art and national
character of England, Germany, Italy, and France. If he were dull,
he would write stories and poems. 'I have written,' he says at
thirteen, 'a very long story in heroic measure, 300 lines, and
another Scotch story and innumerable bits of poetry'; and at the
same age he had not only a keen feeling for scenery, but could do
something with his pen to call it up. I feel I do always less than
justice to the delightful memory of Captain Jenkin; but with a lad
of this character, cutting the teeth of his intelligence, he was
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: seaman's corpse coming out animated by an evil spirit. In the
profound silence of the room he endured a moment of frightful
agony, then opened his eyes again. And he saw at once that the
curtains remained closed still, but that the ceiling over the bed
had risen quite a foot. With the last gleam of reason left to him
he understood that it was the enormous baldaquin over the bed which
was coming down, while the curtains attached to it swayed softly,
sinking gradually to the floor. His drooping jaw snapped to - and
half rising in his chair he watched mutely the noiseless descent of
the monstrous canopy. It came down in short smooth rushes till
lowered half way or more, when it took a run and settled swiftly
Within the Tides |
