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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 did Maldoror do to the mad woman's daughter before sending a bulldog to kill the girl?

2. With what does the narrator begin this poem?

3. In Book I, Stanza 6, what does Maldoror say is the "greatest happiness which can be conceived"?

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

5. What does Maldoror say he promised Holzer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Maldoror do after visiting a brothel in Book III, Stanza 5?

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

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

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

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

6. What does the narrator say in Book I, Stanza 14?

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

8. Why does Maldoror feel the ocean is superior to humanity?

9. What happens when the grave-digger asks Maldoror about his life?

10. What does the child chasing the horse-drawn bus make Maldoror think of?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the theme of evil throughout "Lautréamont's Maldoror." Discuss how these themes are presented and how free will is part of evil or goodness, giving examples from the text of the choices that a person can make.

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

How does "Lautréamont's Maldoror" define childhood vs. adulthood? Why are these divisions important to the poem at the time in which it was written?

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