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

2. According to Madame in the Third Dialogue, what is the psychological effect of semen's operation in conception?

3. What promise do Madame de Saint-Ange and Dolmance make Eugenie at the beginning of this section?

4. In the beginning of this section, Dolmance recommends Eugenie get what?

5. When does Madame de Saint-Ange say a women must tell her husband she is taking lovers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dolmance think about parental control of children?

2. Describe Dolmance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. How does Madame de Saint-Ange recommend a married woman carry out her infidelity?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The Libertines of The Bedroom Philosophers are all exorbitantly wealthy, and as firm believers in the ascendancy of personal liberties they have little to no sympathy for the poor. Write an essay in three parts on the subject of class relationships in the novel:

Part 1) Why does Dolmance believe that charity and social welfare are meaningless exercises? What deleterious effects do they have in his opinion? What does he think of individuals who support them?

Part 2) Discuss the role of servants like Augusten and Lapierre in the events of the novel. Are these characters presented as fully invested individuals? What is their purpose in the proceedings? Discuss why Augustin is sent out of the room when the pamphlet is read aloud.

Part 3) Discuss the argument in the Fifth Dialogue between Chevalier and Dolmance. What compassionate point does Chevalier raise, and why does he raise it? How does Dolmance shout him down?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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