FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Background of Famous Fiction Trivia Quiz

Here's a look at some of the circumstances surrounding the writing of some well-known novels and stories.

A multiple-choice quiz by robert362. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
robert362

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
169,309

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
815

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This author did most of his writing in bed. Hint

Thomas Mann

Marcel Proust

Andre Gide

Gustave Flaubert

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. This author claimed that the inspiration for one of his popular tales came from a nightmare. Hint

Alexandre Dumas

Robert Louis Stevenson

Walter Scott

Albert Camus

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. This author's works incorporated his personal experiences in Jungian analysis. Hint

Hermann Hesse

Thomas Hardy

Leo Tolstoy

Franz Kafka

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. This author wrote some of his poetry from Northampton County Asylum. Hint

Robert Burns

John Clare

James Joyce

William Cowper

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. This author based his sea-going tales on his personal experiences at sea. Hint

All of them

Herman Melville

Eugene O'Neill

Jack London

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. This author's unusual play was inspired by a newspaper report of a bizarre crime. Hint

David Mamet

George Bernard Shaw

Peter Shaffer

Anton Chekhov

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. This author wrote from prison. Hint

John Steinbeck

Charles Dickens

Thomas Wolfe

Oscar Wilde

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. This author's best-known work was "inspired" by a dream. Hint

Jane Austen

William Shakespeare

Ernest Hemingway

Mary Shelley

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which author did NOT write a popular work based on an actual crime? Hint

Washington Irving

Theodore Dreiser

Edgar Allan Poe

All three wrote works of this type

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. On a slightly different note, which of these author's wrote a work that inspired youthful suicides? Hint

Thoreau

Voltaire

Goethe

Thackeray

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This author did most of his writing in bed.

Answer: Marcel Proust

Proust was a "curious" personality. He wrote from bed ... and often did not leave his home for extended periods while engaged in writing.

2. This author claimed that the inspiration for one of his popular tales came from a nightmare.

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson said that he was wrestling with the idea of writing a story about the "double nature" of man when a dream helped crystallize matters. His tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde resulted.

3. This author's works incorporated his personal experiences in Jungian analysis.

Answer: Hermann Hesse

Hesse's difficult life (unhappy childhood, marital problems, etc.) are reflected in his works ("Demian", "Steppenwolf", "Magister Ludi"). Some of his writings (and his use of symbols) reflect his experiences in Jungian analysis.

4. This author wrote some of his poetry from Northampton County Asylum.

Answer: John Clare

Clare's life was marked by poverty and mental instability. One of his well-known poems (often identified as "I Am") was written from the asylum where he spent a part of his life.)

5. This author based his sea-going tales on his personal experiences at sea.

Answer: All of them

O'Neill worked as a seaman; many of his plays ("The Hairy Ape", "The Long Voyage Home", "Anna Christie") reflect the experience. Melville also went to sea; his experiences are manifest in "Typee" and "Moby Dick". Jack London did just about everything (including a stint at sea). His work, "The Sea Wolf", incorporates some of his experiences.

6. This author's unusual play was inspired by a newspaper report of a bizarre crime.

Answer: Peter Shaffer

Shaffer read an article about the blinding of some horses; the incident sparked his interest and resulted in his play, "Equus".

7. This author wrote from prison.

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Wilde wrote the poem, "The Ballad of Reading Gaol". He also wrote the memoir/letter that has come to be known as "De Profundis".

8. This author's best-known work was "inspired" by a dream.

Answer: Mary Shelley

Shelley's dream was her inspiration for "Frankenstein".

9. Which author did NOT write a popular work based on an actual crime?

Answer: Washington Irving

Poe's "Mystery of Marie Roget" was inspired by an actual crime involving a woman named Mary Rogers. Dreiser's "American Tragedy" was inspired by an actual crime in upstate New York.

10. On a slightly different note, which of these author's wrote a work that inspired youthful suicides?

Answer: Goethe

Goethe's "Sorrows of Young Werther" apparently led to many youthful, romance-inspired suicides.

Source: Author robert362

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.