| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Herbert West: Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft: the stiff form and vacant face of our first trophy, but we managed
to remove all traces of our visit. When we had patted down the
last shovelful of earth, we put the specimen in a canvas sack
and set out for the old Chapman place beyond Meadow Hill.
On
an improvised dissecting-table in the old farmhouse, by the light
of a powerful acetylene lamp, the specimen was not very spectral
looking. It had been a sturdy and apparently unimaginative youth
of wholesome plebeian type -- large-framed, grey-eyed, and brown-haired
-- a sound animal without psychological subtleties, and probably
having vital processes of the simplest and healthiest sort. Now,
Herbert West: Reanimator |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: Yet now the case was so altered, that Antalcidas, being one of the
Ephors, out of fear sent away his children privately to the island
of Cythera.
When the enemy essayed to get over the river, and thence to attack
the town, Agesilaus, abandoning the rest, betook himself to the
high places and strong-holds of it. But it happened, that Eurotas
at that time was swollen to a great height with the snow that had
fallen, and made the passage very difficult to the Thebans, not
only by its depth, but much more by its extreme coldness. Whilst
this was doing, Epaminondas was seen in the front of the phalanx,
and was pointed out to Agesilaus, who looked long at him, and said
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: table.
"You want something out of the way," said the architect. "How do
you like this?" and he handed a drawing to Keawe.
Now, when Keawe set eyes on the drawing, he cried out aloud, for it
was the picture of his thought exactly drawn.
"I am in for this house," thought he. "Little as I like the way it
comes to me, I am in for it now, and I may as well take the good
along with the evil."
So he told the architect all that he wished, and how he would have
that house furnished, and about the pictures on the wall and the
knick-knacks on the tables; and he asked the man plainly for how
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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 A Personal Record by Joseph Conrad: "A PERSONAL RECORD"], and have made the following changes to
the text:
PAGE LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO
129 18 thinkin thinking
176 8 now now.
207 14 ful full.
A PERSONAL RECORD
BY JOSEPH CONRAD
A FAMILIAR PREFACE
As a general rule we do not want much encouragement to talk about
ourselves; yet this little book is the result of a friendly
A Personal Record |
