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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 the section titled "I want to understand," what is the subject trying to understand?

2. To whom is the narrator's asceticism addressed?

3. In "Catastrophe," what causes the lover's panic?

4. In this section, what does the lover hope to achieve by touching the other?

5. Which of the following topics describes the theme of "The Absent One/Absence?"

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Tutti Sistemati"/Pigeonholed, how does the lover perceive the system inhabited by others?

2. In the section called The Tip of the Nose/Alteration, the author uses a scene between Werther and Charlotte from the novel Werther to represent the lover's change in attitude toward the loved one. What happens in this scene and what does it demonstrate?

3. In Agony/Anxiety, why does the author compare the lover to a psychotic who fears a breakdown?

4. In "When my finger accidentally. . ."/Contacts, what does the author imagine Werther's reaction to be when he accidentally touches Charlotte?

5. Discuss the function of the dark glasses in Dark Glasses/To Hide.

6. In "Adorable!," the author notes how the lover sees the other as a Whole; what does he mean?

7. How does Catastrophe discuss the "amorous catastrophe" experienced by the lover?

8. In Waiting, how is "the scenography of waiting" structured?

9. In Laetitia/To Circumscribe, what are two pleasures the narrator dreams of, and which one does he aspire to.

10. Describe the effect that the lover hope to achieve by adopting ascetic behavior.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elaborate on the notion that the word "adorable" (Adorable, p. 18) represents a failure in language.

- Why, and on whose part, does this this failure occur?

- How does the lover view his desire and how does this affect his relationship to language?

- How does the term "adorable" function?

Essay Topic 2

In Jealousy, the author says that "Werther's jealousy derives from Images" (pg. 144.) Likewise, in Images (pg. 132), the author describes how Werther is affected by a particular scene involving Charlotte. The image clearly has a powerful effect on the lover. Why?

- What does the image represent?

- How does the lover interpret various images and what do they become for him?

- How does the image inform desire? (pg. 145.)

- What is the nature of the jealousy that images provoke?

Essay Topic 3

In Induction (pg. 136), how does the author describe the process whereby we come to love another?

- Define the term "induction."

- How does induction work in the novel Werther?

- Describe the process of induction in culture: from where do we receive images of what is desirable?

- Can you conclude from this section that love is original?

(see the answer keys)

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