| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Unseen World and Other Essays by John Fiske: others. To make this perfectly clear, we will cite at some length
Taine's brilliant illustration.
The case chosen for illustration is a very simple one,--that of a
state of society in which one of the predominant feelings is
melancholy. This is not an arbitrary supposition, for such a time
has occurred more than once in human history; in Asia, in the
sixth century before Christ, and especially in Europe, from the
fourth to the tenth centuries of our era. To produce such a state
of feeling, five or six generations of decadence, accompanied
with diminution of population, foreign invasions, famines,
pestilences, and increasing difficulty in procuring the
The Unseen World and Other Essays |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft: waver from my first determination, and probably suggested to him,
or his diabolical agent, the infernal plot, which has succeeded
but too well.
"The bond was executed; still I was impatient to leave England.
Mischief hung in the air when we breathed the same; I wanted seas
to divide us, and waters to roll between, till he had forgotten
that I had the means of helping him through a new scheme. Disturbed
by the late occurrences, I instantly prepared for my departure.
My only delay was waiting for a maid-servant, who spoke French
fluently, and had been warmly recommended to me. A valet I was
advised to hire, when I fixed on my place of residence for any time.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Pierrette by Honore de Balzac: nine o'clock. Madame Tiphaine had introduced into Provins the Parisian
custom of taking leave as soon as coffee had been served. On this
occasion she had company at home and was anxious to get away. The
Rogrons accompanied her husband and herself to the street door, and
when they returned to the salon, disconcerted at not being able to
keep their chief guests, the rest of the party were preparing to
imitate Madame Tiphaine's fashion with cruel provincial promptness.
"They won't see our salon lighted up," said Sylvie, "and that's the
show of the house."
The Rogrons had counted on surprising their guests. It was the first
time any one had been admitted to the now celebrated house, and the
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