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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the section called Fade-out, where does the other's fade-out reside?
(a) In the other's voice.
(b) In the lover's memory.
(c) In the other's appearance.
(d) In the lover's silence.

2. In "Dedication," what effect can writing, as a form of amorous dedication, have on the other?
(a) It can leave the other cold.
(b) It can inspire tenderness.
(c) It can smother the other.
(d) It can make the other vain.

3. Which one of the following authors does Barthes cite in this section on the demonic life of a lover?
(a) Goethe.
(b) Proust.
(c) Freud.
(d) Nietzsche.

4. How is the sensibility of the amorous subject described in the section entitled "Flayed?"
(a) Vulnerable and sensitive to ridicule.
(b) Detached.
(c) Prone to negativity.
(d) Aggressive.

5. In "Inexpressible Love," what two powerful myths does the author mention?
(a) That sublimated love engenders beautiful discourse and that one can write about one's passion.
(b) That true love is eternal and that it is the most ancient story to tell.
(c) That true love can never be found and that only poets can write about love.
(d) That writing about love heals the heart and that everyone has a soulmate.

6. In "I am odious"/Monstrous, what does the lover refer to when he says, "I am odious?"
(a) The tendency towards self-indulgence.
(b) His controlling behavior and lack of generosity towards the other.
(c) His cowardice.
(d) His feeling s of remorse.

7. What is the source of the embarrassment experienced by parties in a love triangle in "Looking embarrassed?"
(a) An unsolicited remark.
(b) Lack of understanding.
(c) Unspoken knowledge shared by everyone.
(d) A secret shared by two of the people in the group.

8. In Love's Obscenity/Obscene, what is the author's first example of obscenity?
(a) A poem by Sappho.
(b) Each occasion in the text that the word "love" is used.
(c) A Japanese haiku about love.
(d) Werther's obvious love for Charlotte.

9. In "I am odious"/Monstrous, what does the lover's discourse do to the other?
(a) It causes him to reply in kind.
(b) It irritates him.
(c) It stifles him, imposing silence.
(d) It drives him to suicide.

10. To what does the "ghost ship," in the section entitled The Ghost Ship/Errantry refer?
(a) The errant lover wanders from love to love, believing in the quest for fulfillment.
(b) The lover dreams of sailing the world with the object of desire.
(c) The lover is haunted by terrible memories.
(d) The lover becomes a ghost of his former self.

11. Which relationship dynamic does the section of the text entitled "Domnei" or "dependency" describe?
(a) The amorous subject is subjugated to the loved object.
(b) The couple decides to discuss problems of dependency.
(c) Common belief always places the woman in the submissive role.
(d) The loved object is much too dependent on the amorous subject.

12. At the end of this section, which to spaces or realities does the author oppose?
(a) The city and nature.
(b) That of the theater and that of the mundane world.
(c) The familiar and the foreign.
(d) That of the lover and that of the mundane world.

13. What clothing is Werther wearing when he first dances with Charlotte?
(a) Old work clothes.
(b) A formal black suit.
(c) A blue coat and yellow vest.
(d) A white shirt and riding boots.

14. How is the sentimental subject perceived by society?
(a) As stupid, unseemly, and laughable.
(b) As irritating.
(c) As worthy of admiration.
(d) As worthy of sympathy.

15. What is the best form in which to tell the story of love?
(a) Ancient, declamatory drama.
(b) Poetry.
(c) The novel.
(d) Personal letters.

Short Answer Questions

1. What observation is made about the amorous subject in the section In Praise of Tears/Crying?

2. "I am crazy"/Mad, what does the lover realize in his madness?

3. What is the "ordeal" described in the section called Fade-out.

4. What image does the author evoke to represent the "exuberance" that results from constantly expending love?

5. Which of the following best describes the lover's state in "We are our own demons?"

(see the answer keys)

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