| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: action attracts them, or their minds are impelled by curiosity, my
neighbor went up to the purveyor.
"Were you ever in Germany?" she asked.
Taillefer came near dropping his cup and saucer.
"I, madame? No, never."
"What are you talking about, Taillefer"; said our host, interrupting
him. "Were you not in the commissariat during the campaign of Wagram?"
"Ah, true!" replied Taillefer, "I was there at that time."
"You are mistaken," said my neighbor, returning to my side; "that's a
good man."
"Well," I cried, "before the end of this evening, I will hunt that
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Intentions by Oscar Wilde: forward to the last few chapters of the story. When they appeared,
it seemed to her that she was compelled to reproduce them in life,
and she did so. It was a most clear example of this imitative
instinct of which I was speaking, and an extremely tragic one.
However, I do not wish to dwell any further upon individual
instances. Personal experience is a most vicious and limited
circle. All that I desire to point out is the general principle
that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life, and I feel
sure that if you think seriously about it you will find that it is
true. Life holds the mirror up to Art, and either reproduces some
strange type imagined by painter or sculptor, or realises in fact
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs: he died there it would be in a good cause, thought he;
and, anyway, he had set himself to do this duty which
he dreaded so, and do it he would were all the armies
of the world camped within Battel.
Directly he heard a low challenge from one of his
sentries, who presently appeared escorting a lackey.
"A messenger from Lady Bertrade de Montfort," said
the soldier.
"Bring him hither," commanded the outlaw.
The lackey approached and handed Norman of Torn
a dainty parchment sealed with scented wax wafers.
The Outlaw of Torn |
