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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 the narrator think Mervyn should do instead of walk faster?

2. What does Mervyn do when he reaches home in Book IV, Stanza 3?

3. Why does Maldoror say he is most interested in young boys?

4. In Book IV, Stanza 4, how does Maldoror react to the crab he finds living in him?

5. In Book IV, Stanza 2, what problem does Maldoror run into?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Maldoror still alive in Book IV, Stanza 4?

2. What happens at the child's funeral in Book V, Stanza 6?

3. In Book V, Stanza 2, what does the narrator realize about the vulture and the owl?

4. How does Maldoror compare himself to the man with stolen eyes in Book IV, Stanza 5?

5. What happens when Maldoror first sees Mervyn?

6. In Book IV, Stanza 2, what is Maldoror's conflict with humanity?

7. What happened when Maldoror fell asleep on the cliff in Book IV, Stanza 6?

8. In Book V, Stanza 3, how does the narrator describe people's relationship to death?

9. Why does Maldoror always remember Falmer?

10. How has the man in Book IV, Stanza 7 adapted to living at sea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does this poem describe the conflict between humans and nature? Why is this conflict so important in the poem and in life? Give specific examples of Lautreamont's poem, as well as current events to show the conflict.

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Explain how and why animals are used in "Lautréamont's Maldoror," giving specific examples from the text to support your reasoning.

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