| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: The policy of buying up all objectionable literature seems to me,
I confess, very short-sighted, and in most cases would lead to a greatly
increased reprint; it certainly would in these latitudes.
From the Church of Rome to the Church of England is no great leap,
and Mr. Smith, the Brighton bookseller, gives evidence thus:--
"It may be worth your while to note that the clergy of the last two
centuries ought to be included in your list (of Biblioclasts). I
have had painful experience of the fact in the following manner.
Numbers of volumes in their libraries have had a few leaves removed,
and in many others whole sections torn out. I suppose it served
their purpose thus to use the wisdom of greater men and that they thus
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: neither they nor you can insult her any more."
"You exaggerate fearfully," she said in a faint,
weary voice; "but I cannot enter into my defence--it
is not worth doing. You are nothing to me in future,
and the past side of the story may as well remain untold.
I have lost all through you, but I have not complained.
Your blunders and misfortunes may have been a sorrow to you,
but they have been a wrong to me. All persons of refinement
have been scared away from me since I sank into the mire
of marriage. Is this your cherishing--to put me into a hut
like this, and keep me like the wife of a hind? You deceived
Return of the Native |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: absolutely no means of escape from my position except by giving
away my slaves to fellows who will use them no better than I, and
becoming a slave myself; which, if you please, you shall not
catch me doing in a hurry. No, my beloved, I must keep my foot on
their necks for your sake as well as for my own. But you do not
care about all this prosy stuff. I am consumed with remorse for
having bored my darling. You want to know why I am living here
like a hermit in a vulgar two-roomed hovel instead of tasting the
delights of London society with my beautiful and devoted young
wife."
"But you don't intend to stay here, Sidney?"
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