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

2. In what piece of writing did Bataille record his childhood?

3. Why did Bataille leave his job in 1942?

4. What did Bataille write while he was working?

5. What strategy does Surrealism use for presenting images?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Bataille's involvement with the Popular Front.

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

3. What examples does Bataille cite to illustrate the horror of the eye's vulnerability?

4. How does Bataille describe his role in "The Jesuve"?

5. What is the value of Gnosticism in "Base Materialism and Gnosticism"

6. What does Bataille say about surrealism in "The 'Old Mole' and the Prefix Sur in the Words Surhomme [Superman] and Surrealist"?

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

8. What type of essay is "Formless"?

9. Describe Bataille's schooling.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Assess the claim that Bataille's thinking cannot be reduced to a particular theme or set of values. What is the role of multiplicity and contradiction in Bataille's writing?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Bataille's political stance. What parties did he support in his day? What parties or policies would he likely support today?

Essay Topic 3

In what ways is Bataille a sacrificial victim? Analyze his essays where sacrifices appear, in addition to the essays where he talks about his role as an author, and describe him as either the sacrificing priest or the sacrificial victim himself.

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