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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. In 1882, Oscar Wilde gave John Singer Sargent a book of poetry by whom?

2. What musical instrument was Leon Delafosse known for playing?

3. Who was Sarah Bernhardt's friend turned denouncer that called her "an untuned piano, an Achilles vulnerable everywhere but in the right place" (146)?

4. Who painted the grand fresco that was 4.40 meters wide and 2.75 meters high at the Broca?

5. Who wrote the opera Patience?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the nature of Dr. Pozzi's relationship with Emma Fischoff?

2. Why did Jean Lorrain attempt drawing Montesquiou into duels? How did Montesquiou respond?

3. What does Battey's Operation refer to?

4. Describe the works of Edgar Degas. What was his style?

5. What rumors abounded about Sarah Bernhardt's sexuality?

6. Who was Gustave Moreau?

7. Who wrote the novella Agnes and what is it about?

8. Describe the painting Madame X. Who painted it and who is the subject?

9. Who was Charles Baudelaire?

10. Who was Odilon Redon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of sexuality in The Man in the Red Coat. What individuals in this biography are described as likely homosexual? Why? How was homosexuality perceived at this time? What laws banned homosexual acts and how frequently were they invoked?

Essay Topic 2

Who was Edmond de Goncourt and why is he important in the narrative? What publications did Edmond de Goncourt publish? Who did he know among the elite circles of France?

Essay Topic 3

Why does the author assert that the intimate lives of historical figures are ultimately unknowable? Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

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This section contains 595 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample