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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 gave Hesse difficulties as he got older?

2. According to Freedman, what experience did Hesse describe in "Steppenwolf"?

3. What did Hesse do to contribute to the war effort?

4. Where would Hesse spend time with Ruth Wenger?

5. Who was Hesse lecturing on while he was writing "Siddhartha"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Hesse's last years and death.

2. Describe the period when Hesse's marriage began to crumble.

3. Describe Hesse's travels in 1928-1929.

4. Describe Hesse's run-in with the Stuttgart paper that misprinted his poem.

5. Describe Hesse's travels in 1924 and 1925.

6. Describe the novel "Rosshalde."

7. Describe the impact of the Great War on Hesse.

8. What prizes did Hesse win in 1946?

9. Who was Ruth Wenger?

10. What does Freedman say Hesse represented with "Steppenwolf"?

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

What nationality is Hesse? In what aspects of his life did a certain nationality hold certain meaning? In what ways does Hesse transcend nationality? With which nationalities did Hesse identify? How did he use his nationality? What did identifying with a nationality do for him? What did escaping from nationality do for him?

(see the answer keys)

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