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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. In To the Libertines, what does Sade promise to all of those who follow his precepts?

2. In this section, which historical figure does Madame de Saint-Ange use as an example of lasciviousness?

3. In the Third Dialogue, what function of the human body does Dolmance refuse to discuss?

4. According to Sade in To the Libertines, what is the only way one can find transcendence?

5. According to Madame de Sainte-Ange in the First Dialogue, what is Dolmance's preferred sex act?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dolmance think about parental control of children?

2. Why is sodomy, according to Dolmance, the height of libertine pleasure?

3. Describe Madame de Saint-Ange's husband.

4. Describe Dolmance.

5. What argument does Dolmance make about deceit in this section?

6. How does the Chevalier reassure Eugenie at the beginning of the Fourth Dialogue?

7. Describe Dolmance's defense of incest.

8. How does Chevalier frame Dolamnce's entrance in the First Dialogue?

9. What is the value of blasphemy to the libertine?

10. What standing wager does Madame de Saint-Ange have?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In The Bedroom Philosophers, the abstract idea of nature is used as a central justification for libertine philosophy. Write an essay about the use of nature as a guiding principle in the novel. What elements of nature are inspiring to the libertines? Does nature follow a set of moral guidelines? What connection does nature have to the human race? What does the human impulse to hurt and conquer have in common with nature?

Essay Topic 2

Review the orgy texts of The Bedroom Philosophers and write an essay about how the Marquis de Sade portrays actually copulation. How does the author make clear the specific actions that each character is undertaking? For Eugenie, how does involvement in these activities transition from trepidation to euphoria? What occurs in the text that indicates that the participants are reaching orgasm?

Essay Topic 3

The story of The Bedroom Philosophers is, to a certain extent, the story of Eugenie's education. She enters the narrative a relative innocent and leaves it a libertine. In a three-part essay, discuss Eugenie's character arch:

Part 1) Why is Eugenie initially an innocent? Discuss her life before she arrived in Madame de Saint-Ange's boudoir. What compels her about the libertine lifestyle? How has she explored her sexuality thus far, and what does she expect from this lesson?

Part 2) Discuss the components of Dolmance's lessons that particularly shock Eugenie? Why is she reticent to let the Chevalier break her hymen? How do her perceptions of the world change as she learns more about the philosophy of libertinage?

Part 3) Discuss the type of women Eugenie has become by the end of The Bedroom Philosophers. How does she view the world and her family? What plans does she have for her life going forward? How is this different from her outlook on life at the beginning of the book?

(see the answer keys)

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