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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 does Maldoror beg the toad for in Book I, Stanza 13?

2. In Book I, Stanza 4, the narrator says all men feel what?

3. Why does the narrator decide to stop writing Book II?

4. In Book III, Stanza 5, what greets Maldoror at the door of the brothel?

5. In Book II, Stanza 1, what does the narrator say Maldoror is for the reader?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Maldoror feel about the talking toad he meets in Book I, Stanza 13?

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

4. How does Maldoror react to the sharks who swarm the capsized ship in Book II, Stanza 13?

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

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

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

8. How was Maldoror's childhood deafness cured?

9. What does Maldoror say about the ten-year old girl who used to follow him?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Lautréamont use surrealism throughout this poem? What is the effect of this device? How is it effective or ineffective? Make sure you define surrealism in your essay and use specific examples of it in the poem.

Essay Topic 2

Research Lautréamont's life and period in which he lived. How does this history impact the poem? Make sure you reference secondary sources and give specific examples of the impact on the poem.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the way the poem, "Lautréamont's Maldoror" is organized. Why did the poet use these divisions? What makes these divisions effective? How are they ineffective?

(see the answer keys)

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