| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes: flippant, would-be facetious style, like that of Motteux's version for
example, or the sprightly, jaunty air, French translators sometimes
adopt. It is the grave matter-of-factness of the narrative, and the
apparent unconsciousness of the author that he is saying anything
ludicrous, anything but the merest commonplace, that give its peculiar
flavour to the humour of Cervantes. His, in fact, is the exact
opposite of the humour of Sterne and the self-conscious humourists.
Even when Uncle Toby is at his best, you are always aware of "the
man Sterne" behind him, watching you over his shoulder to see what
effect he is producing. Cervantes always leaves you alone with Don
Quixote and Sancho. He and Swift and the great humourists always
Don Quixote |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Island Nights' Entertainments by Robert Louis Stevenson: view the house, and see if all had been done fitly according to the
thought that was in Keawe's mind.
Now the house stood on the mountain side, visible to ships. Above,
the forest ran up into the clouds of rain; below, the black lava
fell in cliffs, where the kings of old lay buried. A garden
bloomed about that house with every hue of flowers; and there was
an orchard of papaia on the one hand and an orchard of breadfruit
on the other, and right in front, toward the sea, a ship's mast had
been rigged up and bore a flag. As for the house, it was three
storeys high, with great chambers and broad balconies on each. The
windows were of glass, so excellent that it was as clear as water
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Brother of Daphne by Dornford Yates: "More what?"
"Er- unusual. Indeed, it would."
She regarded me suspiciously. Then:
"What about you?"
"Me? How d'you mean?" I said uneasily.
"Well, couldn't you slip back to the hotel somehow? Quite
quietly, I mean, and- "
"I could slip all right," said I. "The short grass on the top of
the cliffs would help me there. But, my dear girl, how on earth
can I do anything quietly in this dress?"
"Everybody will be- "
The Brother of Daphne |
