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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

Gustave Flaubert

Thomas Mann

Marcel Proust

Andre Gide

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Question 2 of 10

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

Robert Louis Stevenson

Walter Scott

Alexandre Dumas

Albert Camus

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Question 3 of 10

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

Leo Tolstoy

Franz Kafka

Thomas Hardy

Hermann Hesse

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Question 4 of 10

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

Robert Burns

William Cowper

James Joyce

John Clare

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Question 5 of 10

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

Eugene O'Neill

All of them

Herman Melville

Jack London

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Question 6 of 10

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

George Bernard Shaw

David Mamet

Anton Chekhov

Peter Shaffer

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Question 7 of 10

7. This author wrote from prison. Hint

John Steinbeck

Oscar Wilde

Thomas Wolfe

Charles Dickens

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Question 8 of 10

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

William Shakespeare

Jane Austen

Mary Shelley

Ernest Hemingway

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Question 9 of 10

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

Edgar Allan Poe

All three wrote works of this type

Theodore Dreiser

Washington Irving

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Question 10 of 10

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

Voltaire

Goethe

Thackeray

Thoreau

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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.
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