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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 occurs in the tale of seduction Valmont tells Merteuil in letter 79?
2. What has Merteuil tricked Cécile into doing?
3. In letter 52, what does Valmont accuse Madame de Tourvel of slandering?
4. Into which main form(s) was __Les Liaisons Dangereuses_ reproduced in the 20th century?
5. What message does the Publisher's Foreword give?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does Valmont describe Madame de Tourvel?
2. How does Cécile describe her feelings about Danceny to Sophie in letter 55?
3. What does the author of the Introduction say about potential political messages of social commentary in Laclos' novel?
4. What is the content of Danceny's letters to Cécile?
5. What are the general contents of Valmont's love letters to Madame de Tourvel?
6. How does Merteuil respond to Valmont's warning?
7. Describe Cécile de Volanges.
8. What are Merteuil and Valmont's plans for Danceny and Cécile at the beginning of Part II?
9. Describe Cécile's relationship with Merteuil.
10. What does the Editor state in the Editor's Preface?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Examine the theme of male solidarity in the novel. Consider the following situations: the three men involved with Prévan's legendary seduction bond together to ruin all three women who are also Prévan's targets; Valmont convinces Madame de Tourvel's confessor, Father Anselme, to allow Valmont access to Madame de Tourvel; Valmont and Danceny, after dueling, bond together to ruin Merteuil. Are there similar instances of female solidarity in the novel? How does this influence your interpretation of gender roles in the novel? How are "communities," or even friendships, gendered in the text?
Essay Topic 2
Compare and contrast the Publisher's Note and Editor's Preface. What is their significance to the work? What messages are they each trying to get across? What is the tone of each? How do they try to influence the readers of the novel? In which ways do they define the work? Why does Laclos include them both? After reading the novel, do you read them or understand them in a different way? How do they compare to typical prefatory material in other works? Is the Publisher's Note after the last letter related in any way to Laclos' introductions?
Essay Topic 3
Discuss the theme of nature and artifice, especially with reference to Cécile, Danceny, Merteuil, and Valmont. What are the natural personalities, interests, motivations, and moralities of these characters? How do they consciously or unconsciously change themselves to show their own or others' various desires? Are nature and artifice associated with any kind of moral message in the novel? How does Merteuil's letter 81, in which she offers the story of her youth and her sexual education, complicate the distinctions between nature and artifice? When do Cécile and Danceny exhibit artificial behavior? How are nature and artifice made ambiguous in Valmont's seduction of Madame de Tourvel?
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This section contains 1,049 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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