| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: From this point of view a man fairly argues that in Athens to love and to
be loved is held to be a very honourable thing. But when parents forbid
their sons to talk with their lovers, and place them under a tutor's care,
who is appointed to see to these things, and their companions and equals
cast in their teeth anything of the sort which they may observe, and their
elders refuse to silence the reprovers and do not rebuke them--any one who
reflects on all this will, on the contrary, think that we hold these
practices to be most disgraceful. But, as I was saying at first, the truth
as I imagine is, that whether such practices are honourable or whether they
are dishonourable is not a simple question; they are honourable to him who
follows them honourably, dishonourable to him who follows them
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: proper proportions. Mine spells fortune for both of us. Yours
spells ruin for both of us. Good-night, M. Binet. Heaven help you
to a wise decision.
The decision to which M. Binet finally came was, naturally, the only
one possible in the face of so firm a resolve as that of Andre-Louis,
who held the trumps. Of course there were further discussions,
before all was settled, and M. Binet was brought to an agreement
only after an infinity of haggling surprising in one who was an
artist and not a man of business. One or two concessions were made
by Andre-Louis; he consented, for instance, to waive his claim to
be paid for scenarios, and he also consented that M. Binet should
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the
Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten
or twelve more of the same kind for you."
"Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?"
"I will read you their names directly; here they are,
in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont,
Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest,
Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries.
Those will last us some time."
"Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you
sure they are all horrid?"
Northanger Abbey |
