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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. How does surrealism rebel at first, in "The 'Old Mole' and the Prefix Sur in the Words Surhomme [Superman] and Surrealist"?

2. When was George Bataille born?

3. Whom did Bataille join with to form the Popular Front?

4. In "Sacrificial Mutilation and the Severed Ear of Vincent Van Gogh", how long does Bataille say it took Van Gogh to paint suns after his self-mutilation?

5. How long does Bataille ride his bicycle for in "[Dream]"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were Bataille's early publications?

2. What are the terrifying images in "[Dream]"?

3. How does the mouth in "Mouth" compare with the eyeball in ''The Eye'?

4. Describe the importance of myth in Bataille's writing and thinking.

5. What does Bataille say about 'freaks' in "The Deviations of Nature"?

6. Describe the change in Bataille's early work to his more mature work and values.

7. How was Bataille's first book received?

8. Describe Bataille's religion in childhood.

9. Describe Bataille's experience with psychoanalysis.

10. How does the notion of parody apply to the sun in "The Solar Anus"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bataille is often revolutionary in his claims and expressions. What would a Bataille revolution look like? Would there be leaders, or would it be anarchy? Based on the text, speculate on the outcome of a revolution based on Bataille's work.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Bataille's writing style to comment on his literary personality and temperament.

Essay Topic 3

Bataille valued revolutionary concepts from Marx and Hegel, but when the National Socialists came to power in Germany, he organized the Popular Front to oppose it. Characterize Bataille's desire for revolution, in art, in culture, and in European politics.

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