| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Albert Savarus by Honore de Balzac: a good marriage by proving some day that his farms were not mortgaged,
and that he had some savings. He wanted to be the talk of the town, to
be the finest and best-dressed man there, in order to win first the
attention, and then the hand, of Mademoiselle Rosalie de Watteville.
In 1830, at the time when young Monsieur de Soulas was setting up in
business as a dandy, Rosalie was but fourteen. Hence, in 1834,
Mademoiselle de Watteville had reached the age when young persons are
easily struck by the peculiarities which attracted the attention of
the town to Amedee. There are so many /lions/ who become /lions/ out
of self-interest and speculation. The Wattevilles, who for twelve
years had been drawing an income of fifty thousand francs a year, did
Albert Savarus |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart: conviction that Clark was dead, both were there, and also David's
growing liking for Judson himself. But David's own psychology was
interesting and clearly put.
"First of all," he dictated, in his careful old voice, "it must be
remembered that I was not certain that the boy had committed the
crime. I believed, and I still believe, that Lucas was shot by
Clifton Hines, probably through an open window. There were no
powder marks on the body. I believed, too, and still believe, that
Hines had fled after the crime, either to Hattie Thorwald's house
or to the mountains. In one case he had escaped and could not be
brought to justice, and in the other he was dead, and beyond
The Breaking Point |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: 357, 480.
[34] Or add, "ere we have expended our last shot." Philippus puns on
the double sense of {sumbolai}. Cf. Aristoph. "Ach." 1210, where
Lamachus groans {talas ego xumboles bareias}, and Dicaeopolis
replies {tois Khousi gar tis xumbolas epratteto}.
Lam. 'Twas at the final charge; I'd paid before
A number of the rogues; at least a score.
Dic. It was a most expensive charge you bore:
Poor Lamachus! he was forced to pay the score.
H. Frere.
II
The Symposium |
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 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: from his face. But when he emerged from the towel,
he was not yet satisfactory, for the clean territory
stopped short at his chin and his jaws, like a mask;
below and beyond this line there was a dark expanse
of unirrigated soil that spread downward in front and
backward around his neck. Mary took him in hand,
and when she was done with him he was a man and a
brother, without distinction of color, and his saturated
hair was neatly brushed, and its short curls wrought
into a dainty and symmetrical general effect. [He
privately smoothed out the curls, with labor and dif-
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
