Barry Lyndon Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Luck of Barry Lyndon

The work first appeared in serial form as "The Luck of Barry Lyndon", but when published as a novel, was called "The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. Of The Kingdom Of Ireland Containing An Account of His Extraordinary Adventures; Misfortunes; His Sufferings In The Service Of His Late Prussian Majesty; His Visits To Many Courts of Europe; His Marriage and Splendid Establishments in England And Ireland; And The Many Cruel Persecutions, Conspiracies And Slanders Of Which He Has Been A Victim" - a title that would never serve the Reader's Digest Editorial Board.

Answer: Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country

"The Dublin Magazine" was a literary magazine that ran for nearly forty years beginning in the 1920's - not around to cut royalty checks in timely enough fashion for Thackeray. "The Strand Magazine" was begun at the end of the nineteenth century and was really more of a mystery magazine. "Pearson's Magazine" was also a late nineteenth century entry that specialized in political articles.

This one was easy if you really know your defunct British periodicals.

Answer: George Savage Fitz-Boodle

Thackeray wrote the serialization in the first person perspective of George Savage Fitz-Boodle, an editor of Barry Lyndon's supposedly true memoirs. George Herman Ruth was the American baseball legend "Babe" Ruth. George Lindsey played "Goober Pyle" on the TV show "Andy Griffith". George Monck, the 1st Duke of Albemarle was a Cavalier, politician and was instrumental in returning Charles II to the throne following the English Civil War.

Answer: All of these

Jonathan Wild was a notorious criminal of the eighteenth century in London whose exploits were popularized and romanticized in literature throughout the era. He masqueraded as a policeman, all the while orchestrating all sorts of truly heinous crimes.

While Barry Lyndon was not himself a thief, he was "Wild-esque" in the sense that he was an anti-hero - a popular protagonist of tarnished virtue. George "Beau" Brummell was a Dandy and a favorite of George (IV) the Prince of Wales. His wildly extravagant fashions and profligate living caused his ultimate fall from grace and his destitute end. Andrew Robinson Stoney provided the model for the treatment of Barry's marriage into and ruination of the house of Lyndon. Stoney married the Countess Bowes and usurped her name, her wealth, and drove her to bankruptcy amid horrible abuse and public humiliation in the late eighteenth century.

Answer: False

The main character was born Barry Redmond of Bally Barry. He took the name Lyndon when he married the Countess Lyndon.

Answer: He shoots Captain Quinn in a duel.

The hot-headed Barry challenges the far more dangerous Captain Quinn to a duel with pistols. He proves the better shot, however, and is hustled to Dublin to avoid arrest, thinking he has killed the Captain. In fact, his lieutenants have loaded the pistols with wax plug shot.

Answer: England and Prussia

The Seven Years War was an eighteenth century free-for-all which saw England, Prussia, Portugal and some German principalities line up against France, Spain, Russia, Sweden and others. The irony for mostly Catholic Irish soldiers fighting for King George was that the battle lines in this war were drawn essentially between Protestants and Catholics, albeit for basically political reasons.

The Seven Years War saw the end of France as a colonial power, especially in the Americas, and saw the rise of Great Britain to international prominence as such.

Answer: none of these

Barry is asked to report on the comings and goings of a confidence man and gambler named the Chevalier de Balibari. Barry comes to realize that this is in fact a long missing uncle of his (hence the Bally Barry transliteration). The two escape the Prussian frontier together and embark on a season of confederate gambling. Schwerin was a significant Prussian military leader of the day. Kaunitz was the Chancellor of Austria.

Answer: He dies in a tragic equestrian accident.

The intimation is that Bryan dies tragically while riding with his elder step-brother, Lord Bullingdon, who because of his barely controllable contempt for Lyndon, has goaded Bryan and his horse beyond the young rider's capacity to remain seated.

Answer: Fleet Prison

Fleet Prison, by the time of the novel, was a debtor's prison, perhaps the most notorious in all of England. Here, families stayed in lodging and were required to pay for their own upkeep as well as for a complex fee structure involving the granting of specific liberties.

Many inmates of Fleet Prison made their livelihood by begging passersby on the street. Newgate Prison was for common criminals and was adjacent to the Old Bailey. The Tower of London was reserved mainly for the incarceration of political prisoners. Giltspur Street Compter is the truly tricky answer here, as it was a debtor's prison, and near to Newgate Prison, but was not built until what would have been the end of Barry Lyndon's miserable incarceration.