| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lady Susan by Jane Austen: desirable. When my own resolution was taken I could nor wish for the
interference, however friendly, of another person. I was mistaken, it is
true, but I believed myself right." "But what was this mistake to which
your ladyship so often alludes! from whence arose so astonishing a
misconception of your daughter's feelings! Did you not know that she
disliked Sir James?" "I knew that he was not absolutely the man she would
have chosen, but I was persuaded that her objections to him did not arise
from any perception of his deficiency. You must not question me, however,
my dear sister, too minutely on this point," continued she, taking me
affectionately by the hand; "I honestly own that there is something to
conceal. Frederica makes me very unhappy! Her applying to Mr. De Courcy
Lady Susan |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac: you ever have a suit in court, you or your husband, it shall go hard
with you."
The notary, sitting in his corner, looked calmly at the abbe, saying
to himself: "The des Grassins may do what they like; my property and
my brother's and that of my nephew amount in all to eleven hundred
thousand francs. The des Grassins, at the most, have not half that;
besides, they have a daughter. They may give what presents they like;
heiress and presents too will be ours one of these days."
At half-past eight in the evening the two card-tables were set out.
Madame des Grassins succeeded in putting her son beside Eugenie. The
actors in this scene, so full of interest, commonplace as it seems,
Eugenie Grandet |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde: GUIDO
[hurriedly]
I killed the Duke.
Now, my Lord Justice, if I may crave a boon,
Suffer me not to see another sun
Light up the misery of this loathsome world.
LORD JUSTICE
Thy boon is granted, thou shalt die to-night.
Lead him away. Come, Madam
[GUIDO is led off; as he goes the DUCHESS stretches out her arms
and rushes down the stage.]
|
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 At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: cone and pyramid apexes, and tiers of thin, horizontal scalloped
disks capping cylindrical shafts. This was exactly what we had
seen in that monstrous and portentous mirage, cast by a dead city
whence such skyline features had been absent for thousands and
tens of thousands of years, which loomed on our ignorant eyes
across the unfathomed mountains of madness as we first approached
poor Lake’s ill-fated camp.
Of the life of the Old Ones, both
under the sea and after part of them migrated to land, volumes
could be written. Those in shallow water had continued the fullest
use of the eyes at the ends of their five main head tentacles,
At the Mountains of Madness |
