| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: that I last dipp'd my pen into my ink, I could not help taking notice what
a cautious air of sad composure and solemnity there appear'd in my manner
of doing it.--Lord! how different from the rash jerks and hair-brain'd
squirts thou art wont, Tristram, to transact it with in other humours--
dropping thy pen--spurting thy ink about thy table and thy books--as if thy
pen and thy ink, thy books and furniture cost thee nothing!
Chapter 2.XXII.
--I won't go about to argue the point with you--'tis so--and I am persuaded
of it, madam, as much as can be, 'That both man and woman bear pain or
sorrow (and, for aught I know, pleasure too) best in a horizontal
position.'
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: I became in an instant as much of a pretence as the rest
of the bewitched pilgrims. This simply because I had a notion
it somehow would be of help to that Kurtz whom at the time
I did not see--you understand. He was just a word for me.
I did not see the man in the name any more than you do.
Do you see him? Do you see the story? Do you see anything? It seems
to me I am trying to tell you ya dream--making a vain attempt,
because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation,
that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment
in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured
by the incredible which is of the very essence of dreams.
Heart of Darkness |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: JACK. Gwendolen, I must get christened at once - I mean we must
get married at once. There is no time to be lost.
GWENDOLEN. Married, Mr. Worthing?
JACK. [Astounded.] Well . . . surely. You know that I love you,
and you led me to believe, Miss Fairfax, that you were not
absolutely indifferent to me.
GWENDOLEN. I adore you. But you haven't proposed to me yet.
Nothing has been said at all about marriage. The subject has not
even been touched on.
JACK. Well . . . may I propose to you now?
GWENDOLEN. I think it would be an admirable opportunity. And to
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