| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: "Ough! You would give the blues to the funny man of a blooming
circus. What would my missus say if I wasn't to turn up never at
all?"--"She would get another man; there's always plenty of fools
about." A quiet and mirthless chuckle was heard in the pause of
shocked silence. Lingard, with his hand on the door, remained
still. Further off a growl burst out: "I do hate to be chucked in
the dark aboard a strange ship. I wonder where they keep their
fresh water. Can't get any sense out of them silly niggers. We
don't seem to be more account here than a lot of cattle. Likely
as not we'll have to berth on this blooming quarter-deck for God
knows how long." Then again very near Lingard the first voice
The Rescue |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: originated by Stephen Smith, while in the employ of Mr. Hewby, the
London man of art, had brought about its overthrow.
Pondering on the possible episodes of Elfride's past life, and on
how he had supposed her to have had no past justifying the name,
he sat and regarded the white tomb of young Jethway, now close in
front of him. The sea, though comparatively placid, could as
usual be heard from this point along the whole distance between
promontories to the right and left, floundering and entangling
itself among the insulated stacks of rock which dotted the water's
edge--the miserable skeletons of tortured old cliffs that would
not even yet succumb to the wear and tear of the tides.
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert: The parlour of the convent would not open until morning, and surely a
delay would annoy Madame, so, in spite of her desire to see the other
child, she went home. The maids of the inn were just arising when she
reached Pont-l'Eveque.
So the poor boy would be on the ocean for months! His previous trips
had not alarmed her. One can come back from England and Brittany; but
America, the colonies, the islands, were all lost in an uncertain
region at the very end of the world.
From that time on, Felicite thought solely of her nephew. On warm days
she feared he would suffer from thirst, and when it stormed, she was
afraid he would be struck by lightning. When she harkened to the wind
A Simple Soul |
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 Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: obstinate and he is assisted by a little fat sorcerer
called Rinkitink and a talking goat."
"Oho! A talking goat, do you say? That certainly
sounds like magic; and it also sounds like the Land of
Oz, where all the animals talk," said Kaliko, with a
doubtful expression.
But King Gos assured him the talking goat had never
been to Oz.
"As for Rinkitink, whom you call a sorcerer,"
continued the Nome King, "he is a neighbor of mine, you
must know, but as we are cut off from each other by
Rinkitink In Oz |
