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Date: 1778, 1779

"'Leave me, Madam,' cried he, with quickness, "and take care of the poor child;--bid her not think me unkind,--tell her I would at this moment plunge a dagger in my heart to serve her,--but she has set my brain on fire, and I can see her no more!'"

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

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Date: 1777, 1780

"The notice and observation of strangers, and the affection of individuals, together with that inward consciousness that always attends superiour qualities, would sometimes kindle the flames of ambition in Edmund's heart; but he checked them presently by reflecting upon his low birth and dependan...

— Reeve, Clara (1729-1807)

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Date: 1782

"My brain is on fire!"

— Burney [married name D'Arblay], Frances (1752-1840)

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Date: 1782

"But a smooth and stedfast mind, / Gentle thought and calm desires, / Hearts in equal love combin'd, / Kindle never-dying fires; / Where these are not I despise / Lovely cheeks, or lips, or eyes."

— Fenn [née Frere], Ellenor (1744-1813)

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Date: 1784

"'Tis in Clarinda's charming mind, / The sweet attraction lies; / There all that fire and life we find, / That sparkles in her eyes."

— Fenn [née Frere], Ellenor (1744-1813)

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Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"Till then I am in torments, ineffable torments! an unrelenting fire preys on my heart."

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

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Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"Having uttered this exclamation, Soliman raised his hands towards heaven, in token of supplication; and the Caliph discerned through his bosom, which was transparent as crystal, his heart enveloped in flames."

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

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Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"They went wandering on, from chamber to chamber; hall to hall; and gallery to gallery; all without bounds or limit; all distinguishable by the same louring gloom; all adorned with the same awful grandeur; all traversed by persons in search of repose and consolation; but, who sought them in vain;...

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

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Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"Instantaneously, the haughty forehead of the intrepid princess became corrugated with agony: she uttered a tremendous yell; and fixed, no more to be withdrawn, her right hand upon her heart, which was become a receptacle of eternal fire."

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

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Date: w. 1782, 1786, 1816

"Their hearts immediately took fire, and they, at once, lost the most precious gift of heaven:--Hope."

— Beckford, William (1760-1844)

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The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.