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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. Why does Maldoror suggest that the reader grow his/her fingernails out?

2. What does Mario say when Maldoror asks about his sadness in Book III, Stanza 1?

3. What does the narrator say the reader must read these poems with?

4. Why does Maldoror say he had a hard time learning to communicate as a child?

5. What does the toad say Maldoror should do if he is so smart?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happens to Maldoror when he realizes he was born evil?

3. In Book II, what happens to the narrator when he tries to write?

4. What does the narrator warn the reader about before Maldoror's story begins?

5. In Book II, Stanza 15, what does Maldoror do when he finds himself at odds with conscience?

6. What does Maldoror predict about his death in Book I, Stanza 10?

7. In Book 1, Stanza 8, why does Maldoror say he is like dogs?

8. In Book III, Stanza 3, what does Tremdall witness?

9. In Book I, Stanza 6, what does Maldoror suggest people do to children?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is this poem's commentary on the role of religion in the lives of people? Give examples from the poem to support your position. How could the background of the poet effect how religion is portrayed?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast at least two of Maldoror's victims and consider what each victim represents. Why would the author use this juxtaposition?

Essay Topic 3

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

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