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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 term does the Marquis de Sade use to refer to his readers in the beginning of his Introduction?

2. In the Fourth Dialogue, what combination of sexual acts does Madame de Saint-Ange advocate?

3. How many of Madame's own children has she killed?

4. What is the maximum number of penises that Madame de Saint-Ange theorizes a woman could handle at one time?

5. During Chevalier's Fourth Dialogue demonstration, what does Dolmance charge Eugenie to trample?

Short Essay Questions

1. What arrangement does Dolmance create with Chevalier in the Fourth Dialogue?

2. How is the the sexual passage of this section typical of the writing of The Bedroom Philosophers?

3. What skill do women have for cruelty, according to Dolmance at the end of the Third Dialogue?

4. At the beginning of this section, what argument does Dolmance make regarding virtue?

5. What sexual acts are covered in this section of the book?

6. How does Eugenie decide to murder her mother?

7. What odd and incorrect theories of conception are discussed in the Third Dialogue?

8. What standing wager does Madame de Saint-Ange have?

9. How does the Chevalier reassure Eugenie at the beginning of the Fourth Dialogue?

10. Why is sodomy, according to Dolmance, the height of libertine pleasure?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a point-counterpoint essay, determine what the Marquis de Sade would be satirizing if The Bedroom Philosophers were satire. Would his targets be the French aristocracy? The Revolution? Is it more reasonable to believe that he intends the text as a critique of excess? Discuss, on the other hand, what Sade's goal would be if the text were earnest. What evidence from his personal life would contend that the book should be taken straight?

Essay Topic 2

In the pamphlet Chevalier reads in the Fifth Dialogue, an unnamed author refutes the notion that laws are necessary for public order. Over the course of the pamphlet, he disproves the harmful effects of many crimes. Write an essay about three of these crimes. Why does the author state that they are not harmful? What positive effects do they have? What societal changes does the author recommend in harnessing this good?

Part 1) Slander

Part 2) Rape and incest

Part 3) Murder

Essay Topic 3

Dolmance is the dedicated libertine and sodomite who heads up the education of Eugenie. Write a three-part essay about Dolmance's philosophy of life. What arguments does he make regarding each topic? What does this say about the Marquis de Sade's views regarding France? What connects his philosophical views to his sexual proclivities?

Part 1) Charity.

Part 2) Parental relationships.

Part 3) Marriage

(see the answer keys)

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