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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. Where was Eugenie before she became acquainted with Madame de Saint-Ange?

2. Near the end of this section, Dolmance discusses his libertine friends seducing who?

3. Who knocks at the boudoir door at the end of the Third Dialogue?

4. Near the end of the Third Dialogue, Madame de Saint-Ange says that, along with abortion, what is permissible regarding unwanted children?

5. According to Sade in To the Libertines, what is the only way one can find transcendence?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eugenie respond to finding Dolamnce in the boudoir in the Third Dialogue?

2. Describe Madame de Saint-Ange's husband.

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

4. According to Sade in To the Philosphers, what is the key to happiness?

5. How does Dolmance decry religion in this section?

6. What specific instructions does Sade give his readers about emulating characters in To the Libertines?

7. How does Eugenie decide to murder her mother?

8. What hypothetical sexual inundation do Dolmance and Madame concoct in the Fourth Dialogue?

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

10. What theory regarding large penises does Dolmance posit in the Fourth Dialogue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

The dialogues of The Bedroom Philosophers are intended to be perversions of Socratic dialogues, in which a philosopher takes a given dictum and dissects it, disproving it piece by piece. In an essay, choose one dialogue and discuss how the libertine dissects a given social more. What component of society is the character refuting? What does he or she find at fault in it? How does he or she disprove this fault, and what conclusion is reached?

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?

(see the answer keys)

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