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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 activity does Madame advocate for at length in this section?
2. In the Fourth Dialogue, what combination of sexual acts does Madame de Saint-Ange advocate?
3. According to Dolmance, Christianity is just a newer form of what?
4. Where was Eugenie before she became acquainted with Madame de Saint-Ange?
5. Which Roman emperor does Dolmance cite at the end of the Third Dialogue?
Short Essay Questions
1. What odd and incorrect theories of conception are discussed in the Third Dialogue?
2. What methods does Madame recommend for avoiding pregnancy?
3. What arrangement does Dolmance create with Chevalier in the Fourth Dialogue?
4. What hypothetical sexual inundation do Dolmance and Madame concoct in the Fourth Dialogue?
5. Describe Dolmance's attitudes toward the poor.
6. How does Dolmance decry religion in this section?
7. Describe Dolmance.
8. What sexual acts are covered in this section of the book?
9. How does Eugenie respond to finding Dolamnce in the boudoir in the Third Dialogue?
10. What argument does Dolmance make about deceit in this section?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Sodomy plays an incredible role in the libertine philosophy of Dolmance. He expounds upon its pure, unadorned pleasure. Write a three-part essay about the libertine ideal as expressed through the act of sodomy:
Part 1) What reasons does Dolmance explain through the book that society has for frowning upon anal intercourse? Why is it considered unnatural and dirty? To what extend is the substance of semen made sacred through these arguments?
Part 2) Discuss the various ways in which Dolmance rebuke the arguments against sodomy. How does he connect the notion of nature to justify the value of sodomy? Aesthetically, why does Dolmance think that the anus is more perfect than the vagina?
Part 3) Discuss how Dolmance applies his beliefs about sodomy in his everyday life. What does he abstain from? What does he lecture and practice on a regular basis?
Essay Topic 2
In an essay, discuss the identity of The Bedroom Philosophers as pornography. What goals of pornographic material are achieved with the proceedings of the text? Do you think that the book is intended as anything other than a prurient thrill? What significance does a pornographic work gain when viewed as a historical document? What does The Bedroom Philosophers tell us about the mores, fears, and secret desires of its readers?
Essay Topic 3
In The Bedroom Philosophers, the abstract idea of nature is used as a central justification for libertine philosophy. Write an essay about the use of nature as a guiding principle in the novel. What elements of nature are inspiring to the libertines? Does nature follow a set of moral guidelines? What connection does nature have to the human race? What does the human impulse to hurt and conquer have in common with nature?
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This section contains 963 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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