| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Pierrette by Honore de Balzac: Pierrette along the winding gravel path which led across the lawn to
the edge of the rock terrace,--a picturesque little quay, covered with
iris and aquatic plants. She now changed her tactics, thinking she
might catch Pierrette tripping by softness; the hyena became a cat.
"Pierrette," she said, "you are no longer a child; you are nearly
fifteen, and it is not at all surprising that you should have a
lover."
"But, cousin," said Pierrette, raising her eyes with angelic sweetness
to the cold, sour face of her cousin, "What is a lover?"
It would have been impossible for Sylvie to define a lover with truth
and decency to the girl's mind. Instead of seeing in that question the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Lesson of the Master by Henry James: as important. He saw more in St. George's face, which he liked the
better for its not having told its whole story in the first three
minutes. That story came out as one read, in short instalments -
it was excusable that one's analogies should be somewhat
professional - and the text was a style considerably involved, a
language not easy to translate at sight. There were shades of
meaning in it and a vague perspective of history which receded as
you advanced. Two facts Paul had particularly heeded. The first
of these was that he liked the measured mask much better at
inscrutable rest than in social agitation; its almost convulsive
smile above all displeased him (as much as any impression from that
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Bronte Sisters: He was to have been married before, some two or three years ago;
but he lost his bride by losing his fortune. He got into a bad way
among us in London: he had an unfortunate taste for gambling; and
surely the fellow was born under an unlucky star, for he always
lost thrice where he gained once. That's a mode of self-torment I
never was much addicted to. When I spend my money I like to enjoy
the full value of it: I see no fun in wasting it on thieves and
blacklegs; and as for gaining money, hitherto I have always had
sufficient; it's time enough to be clutching for more, I think,
when you begin to see the end of what you have. But I have
sometimes frequented the gaming-houses just to watch the on-goings
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall |
