| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: "Never mind," answered Eugene; "we understand each other."
"So there is to be an engagement of marriage between M. le
Chevalier Eugene de Rastignac and Mlle. Victorine Taillefer, is
there?" The words were uttered in Vautrin's deep voice, and
Vautrin appeared at the door as he spoke.
"Oh! how you startled me!" Mme. Couture and Mme. Vauquer
exclaimed together.
"I might make a worse choice," said Rastignac, laughing.
Vautrin's voice had thrown him into the most painful agitation
that he had yet known.
"No bad jokes, gentlemen!" said Mme. Couture. "My dear, let us go
Father Goriot |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac: side of the way. The trees are already almost worth a fortune, and
they make our road look like a king's highway. It is almost always
dry, by reason of its position, and it was so well made that the
annual cost of maintaining it is a bare two hundred francs. I must
show it to you, for you cannot have seen it; you must have come by the
picturesque way along the valley bottom, a road which the people
decided to make for themselves three years later, so as to connect the
various farms that were made there at that time. In three years ideas
had rooted themselves in the common sense of this township, hitherto
so lacking in intelligence that a passing traveler would perhaps have
thought it hopeless to attempt to instil them. But to continue.
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: spectacle? But now suppose that you, sir, being at the head of the
procession, rouse your horse and take the lead at a pace neither too
fast nor yet too slow, but in a way to bring out the best qualities in
all the animals, their spirit, fire, grace of mien and bearing ripe
for action--I say, if you take the lead of them in this style, the
collective thud, the general neighing and the snorting of the horses
will combine to render not only you at the head, but your whole
company[10] down to the last man a thrilling spectacle.
[9] Reading as vulg. {os malista epainousi tous toioutous ippous, os}.
L. Dind. omits the words as a gloss.
[10] Reading {oi} (for {osoi}) {sumparepomenoi}. See Hartmann, "An.
On Horsemanship |
