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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Maldoror beg God for in Book I, Stanza 5?

2. In Book I, Stanza 10, who does Maldoror think will not surround him at the time of his death?

3. In Book III, Stanza 5, what greets Maldoror at the door of the brothel?

4. In Book I, Stanza 4, what does the narrator say about the purpose of this poem?

5. Why was the hermaphrodite granted a pension?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Maldoror feel about the talking toad he meets in Book I, Stanza 13?

2. Why does Maldoror tell men to stop worshiping an insect god?

3. In Book II, Stanza 12, what does Maldoror say about praying as a child?

4. What does the grave digger tell Maldoror about mortality?

5. How was Maldoror's childhood deafness cured?

6. What does Maldoror do after watching the family eat dinner in Book I, Stanza 11?

7. What happens when Maldoror addresses the lamp hanging in a cathedral?

8. Why does Maldoror praise mathematics in Book II, Stanza 10?

9. What conversation about heaven does Maldoror have with the boy on the park bench?

10. What does Maldoror say about the ten-year old girl who used to follow him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Lautréamont use surrealism throughout this poem? What is the effect of this device? How is it effective or ineffective? Make sure you define surrealism in your essay and use specific examples of it in the poem.

Essay Topic 2

How is conscience developed as a theme in "Lautréamont's Maldoror"? Give specific examples of the use of conscience in the poem.

Essay Topic 3

Research Lautréamont's life and period in which he lived. How does this history impact the poem? Make sure you reference secondary sources and give specific examples of the impact on the poem.

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