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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. Hesse's upbringing was influenced by the cultures of __________________.

2. What was Hesse's work in Tubingen?

3. Why did Hesse's parents want him to pass his degree?

4. What reason does Freedman give for Hesse's choice of subject matter?

5. After the birth of his son, how did Hesse spend a good deal of time?

Short Essay Questions

1. With what nationality did Hesse identify?

2. Where did Hesse's writing come from?

3. What circles did Hesse enter in Tubingen?

4. Who were Hesse's parents? How did they meet?

5. What was Hesse's relationship with his family's values as a young man?

6. When did Hesse begin to be successful as a writer?

7. Describe Hesse's marriage with Maria.

8. What does Freedman say about artists' lives, at the beginning of the prologue?

9. Where would Hesse run away from? Where would he run away to?

10. What does Freedman say about Hesse's popularity over the years?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hesse moved around a great deal, never settling in one place for very long, not until later in life. Why did Hesse move? What made him resist moving? Would you characterize him as a wanderer, a vagrant, an explorer, or an exile? What was he always looking for in a home? Where was he most at home?

Essay Topic 2

Hesse experienced periods of depression from time to time throughout his life. What was he depressed about? What did he learn to do to fight his depression? What did he learn from examining the causes of his depression? What was his experience of psychoanalysis like?

Essay Topic 3

How has Hesse been received, and how has his popularity waxed and waned over time, and in different countries? What parts of his work have been responsible for his popularity? What parts for his unpopularity? What aspect of of movements in Western culture made Hesse's work attractive and popular? What did people see in his work?

(see the answer keys)

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