| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Camille by Alexandre Dumas: enough, religion has no duties constant enough, to shut these
charming birds in their cages, cages not even strewn with
flowers. Then how surely must they desire the world which is
hidden from them, how surely must they find it tempting, how
surely must they listen to the first voice which comes to tell
its secrets through their bars, and bless the hand which is the
first to raise a corner of the mysterious veil!
But to be really loved by a courtesan: that is a victory of
infinitely greater difficulty. With them the body has worn out
the soul, the senses have burned up the heart, dissipation has
blunted the feelings. They have long known the words that we say
Camille |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Catherine de Medici by Honore de Balzac: had just become convinced of the greatness of the Prince de Conde's
plans, had touched the spring hidden beneath the foot-board, and one
of the mysterious panels had turned over on its hinges. Catherine was
in the act of lifting the papers from the table to hide them,
intending after that to secure the safety of the devoted messenger who
had brought them to her, when, hearing the sudden opening of the door,
she at once knew that none but Queen Mary herself would dare thus to
enter without announcement.
"You are lost!" she said to Christophe, perceiving that she could no
longer put away the papers, nor close with sufficient rapidity the
open panel, the secret of which was now betrayed.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: friend of Petritsky's with a rosy little face and flaxen hair,
resplendent in a lilac satin gown, and filling the whole room,
like a canary, with her Parisian chatter, sat at the round table
making coffee. Petritsky, in his overcoat, and the cavalry
captain Kamerovsky, in full uniform, probably just come from
duty, were sitting each side of her.
"Bravo! Vronsky!" shouted Petritsky, jumping up, scraping his
chair. "Our host himself! Baroness, some coffee for him out of
the new coffee pot. Why, we didn't expect you! Hope you're
satisfied with the ornament of your study," he said, indicating
thebaroness. "You know each other, of course?"
Anna Karenina |
