Literature Before 1900 Trivia

1. In 1851, Herman Melville published "Moby Dick". Of the many members of the crew of the whaling ship the "Pequod", only one survives. Who is it?

From Quiz Bigger Than Ben-Hur

Answer: Ishmael

If I had mentioned the famous opening line "Call me Ishmael", that might have been a tip-off. Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of Moby Dick, the whale who destroyed his lower leg on a previous voyage, eventually leads to the deaths of all of his crew except for the narrator, Ishmael. At least Starbuck would lend his name to a Seattle-based chain of coffee shops.

From Quiz Mysterious Middle Age

Answer: Bertilak

In the Arthurian Romance 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight', Gawain traveled through the wilderness of northwest Britain in search of the Green Knight. He encountered all sorts of beasts, suffered from hunger and cold, and at last saw a Green Chapel and took shelter there. He stayed there for three days and received cordial hospitality. At the end the Green Knight revealed his true identity. He disclosed that he was Bertilak, the actual lord of the castle.

From Quiz Classic Literature

Answer: "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson

"Treasure Island" is the book. "Pirates Ashore!" by Jim Henders and "Hidden Treasure" by Robin Clears are fake. In "Treasure Island", Jim Hawkins sets out with some friends and a crew to Treasure Island. When they have arrived, most of the crew members turn out to be pirates led by Long John Sliver. They end up staying on shore while the pirates stay on the ship, waiting for Jim and his friends to give up the map to Treasure Island.

From Quiz Riddles (Anglo-Saxon Style)

Answer: Wine

The silver dress is the wine goblet, which was often adorned with precious stones, such as garnets. The alcohol in the wine makes men crazy, rash, and full of rage. Though the wine strips men of their strength (the worst thing possible in such a macho world), men still love it. Some things never change.

From Quiz Great Romantic Books and Authors

Answer: Les Miserables

"Les Miserables", first released on 1862, talks about the life of Jean Valjean, who tries to reconstruct his life after being twenty years in prison.

From Quiz Great Literature Miscellany

Answer: Adam Bede

Though most known for "Middlemarch," George Eliot provides a penetrating psychological portrait of her varied characters in "Adam Bede."

From Quiz Who Didn't Write It?

Answer: Agnes Grey

Austen did not write "Agnes Grey", which comes from the pen of Anne Bronte, sister to Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Of the three Bronte sisters, Anne's writing most nearly resembles Austen's. It is less Gothic than that of her sisters. Austen's "Northanger Abbey" is actually a parody on the kinds of Gothic novels Charlotte and Emily would later write.

From Quiz Mixed Literature

Answer: Anne

'Wuthering Heights' was Emily Bronte's only novel. Charlotte Bronte wrote 'The Professor', 'Villette', 'Shirley' and 'Jane Eyre'. There is no Jane Bronte.

From Quiz Early English Prose

Answer: Anchoresses

Anchoresses were religious recluses who lived in enclosures attached to a church. For example Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe (see question 3). Like most early prose 'Ancrene Riwle' is a religious work.

From Quiz English Literature Before 1800

Answer: Beowulf

The present translation is by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995.

From Quiz Lazarillo De Tormes

Answer: Tormes

From Quiz Mostly European Literature

Answer: Telemachus

Telemachus was the firstborn of Odysseus and Penelope. He proved himself an intelligent, strong and brave young man by the end of the epic, and worthy of being his father's son.

From Quiz Authors of the Classics

Answer: Bram Stoker

From Quiz Mixed Literature Rather Tough But ?

Answer: Henry Van Dyke

The dykes of the Netherlands.

From Quiz Literature, generally

Answer: The Three Musketeers

Porthos, Athos and Aramis, were the three musketeers in the books by Alexandre Dumas.

From Quiz Bigger Than Ben-Hur

Answer: The Napoleonic Wars

Covering the years 1805-1812, Napoleon's invasion of Russia is a major focus of the book. I actually read the entire book once, but found it hard to keep track of the literally hundreds of fictional characters and historical figures that appear throughout the book. In the end, I compromised by picking one significant character and focusing on him for the last half of the book.

From Quiz Mysterious Middle Age

Answer: Morgan le Faye

The old woman at the castle was Morgan le Faye. She was Gawain's aunt and King Arthur's half sister. She sent the Green Knight on his original errand and used her magic to change Bertilak's appearance. She wanted to test King Arthur and his Knights and, as such, framed the whole episode. 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' was a late 14th century verse romance.

From Quiz Classic Literature

Answer: "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas

"Revenge Is Mine" by Count Flanders is not real. The rest are real stories, but the correct answer is "The Three Musketeers". D'Artagnan sets out to become a musketeer when his letter is stolen by a man he calls "The Man of Meung". He meets three musketeers along the way: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who become his friends. In the course of events, Cardinal Richelieu - their enemy - plots against them since they are helping the Queen and her friend, Madame Bonacieux.

From Quiz Riddles (Anglo-Saxon Style)

Answer: Fire

The "warrior" is fire. The fire is created when two sticks (i.e., "two dumb creatures") are rubbed together. Fire was often used to burn the towns and homes of enemies. However, it could be put out by anyone--even a woman! (University of Aberdeen, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/english/beowulf/riddle.htm)

From Quiz Great Romantic Books and Authors

Answer: The Corsair

"The Corsair" is considered the first book that talked about piracy as a Romantic dream. The author was George Gordon Byron, who died in Missolonghi fighting against Turkey for the independence of Greece.

From Quiz Gothic Literature

Answer: They were all suspected of being homosexual.

All were suspected of being homosexual: Horace Walpole (author of "Castle of Otranto") never married; Matthew Lewis (author of "The Monk") had rumours about his preferences for most of his life; and William Beckford (author of "Vathek") was caught in bed with his male cousin.

From Quiz Great Literature Miscellany

Answer: Creon

Creon must ultimately suffer for his own flaw, and in this sense he could be viewed as the tragic hero of the play. Antigone, on the other hand, triumphs even in death. Oedipus is a character appearing in two other plays by Sophocles.

From Quiz Who Didn't Write It?

Answer: The House of Seven Gables

The American Nathaniel Hawthorne was the author of "The House of Seven Gables". Interestingly, Dickens died while writing "Edwin Drood", so the mystery was never concluded, though we can deduce the murderer from the book as well as from the author's notes.

From Quiz Mixed Literature

Answer: Bathsheba

Gabriel Oak, the main character in the story, fell in love with Bathsheba.

From Quiz English Literature Before 1800

Answer: 'The Vision of Piers Plowman' (by William Langland)

The translation is by E.T. Donaldson and is based on 'Piers Plowman: The B Version', edited by George Kane and E.T. Donaldson.

From Quiz Lazarillo De Tormes

Answer: a blind man

From Quiz Mostly European Literature

Answer: The princess' mother, Mme de Chartres

Mme de Chartres' dying words to her daughter foreshadowed the rest of the novel: she begged the princess not to fall in love with the duke. It would eventually be her downfall.

From Quiz Authors of the Classics

Answer: Jane Austen

This book was not actually published until 1818, after Austen's death.

From Quiz Mixed Literature Rather Tough But ?

Answer: Robert Herrick

From 'Poverty and Riches'.

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