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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. Under what conditions can a state be democratic, in Bataille's opinion?

2. When does being become undefined, according to Bataille?

3. How is the question of 'what exists compared to what appears' resolved, in "Sacrifices"?

4. What does Bataille say Nietzsche questions?

5. Which of the following does Bataille NOT use as an example of unproductive expenditure without value beyond itself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous culture as Bataille defines them in "Psychological Structure of Fascism"?

2. What aspect of Nietzsche's philosophy did the Fascists appropriate, in Bataille's account in "Nietzsche and the Fascists"?

3. Judging by "The Critique of the Foundations of the Hegelian Dialectic" and his other essays, what does Bataille see as the value of dialectics?

4. How does Bataille describe the individual in "The College of Sociology"?

5. How does Andre Masson create the tone of the drawings in the book for which Bataille wrote a preface?

6. What does Bataille say is the only true liberating act, in "Propositions"?

7. What pattern for self-discovery does Bataille offer in "The Sacred"?

8. What is fascism's relationship with homo- and heterogeneity?

9. How did Nietzsche respond to the decay of his culture, according to Bataille's essay "Nietzschean Chronicle"?

10. What do Masson's drawing symbolize for Bataille?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Bataille's opposition to dialectics. Is he consistent with his own anti-dialectic stance in his writing? Identify the places where Bataille's writing is most successful in opposing dialectics.

Essay Topic 2

Bataille uses the thoughts of Thorstein Veblen in "The Notion of Expenditure", but he is not merely following Veblen. What use does Bataille put Veblen's thoughts to, and how does Veblen's idea of conspicuous consumption fit into Bataille's overall value scheme?

Essay Topic 3

What exactly is it that Bataille wants people to see about reality and human experience? Describe the value of pornographic or chaotic or revolutionary things in Bataille's work.

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