Connect Four Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: All are characters in "Bridges of Madison County"

"Bridges of Madison County", written by Robert James Waller, has been translated into 25 languages. Over 12 million copies have been sold worldwide. The book spent nearly 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1995, after a movie was released based on the book, the novel actually beat out "Gone With the Wind" as the best selling fiction book of all time.

Answer: Children who receive golden tickets in "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory"

Roald Dahl's classic work is beloved by so many that it has been adapted into two films, a play and countless audio books. As a young boy attending Repton Public school in England, Dahl and his classmates would sometimes receive boxes of candy from the Cadbury company to taste and test.

This simple pleasure made him daydream of working in the factory for Cadbury. Thirty five years later, he revisted those daydreams and created the book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Answer: Grisham lawyers

Not only are all four literary characters, but Grisham's success has translated onto the big screen so well that each is also portrayed in film. Young and inexperienced Rudy Baylor from "The Rainmaker" is played by Matt Damon in a film of the same name. Lawyer out of her league, Reggie Love, is played by Susan Surandon in the screen adaptation of "The Client".

The film version of "A Time to Kill" had an all star cast, including Matthew McConaughey who played Jake Tyler Brigance. And couch crazy Cruise (Tom, that is) portrayed Mitch McDeere in the highly successful film version of Grisham's "The Firm".

Answer: All are autobiographical

"I Aint Got Time to Bleed" is written by former wrestler turned governor Jesse Ventura about his life as a wrestler and the difficult transition into politics. "I Never Played the Game" is a look at the life of Howard Cosell through his eyes including his personal history with Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and O.J. Simpson.

The book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" did make it to Oprah's book of the month club. The Maya Angelou work is the only one of the choices that did. It is the first and one of the most personal works in a five volume collection that recounts the life of the extraordinary poet.

The final work mentioned, "I am not Spock" is Leonard Nimoy's first book, written in 1975 when he was attempting to distance himself from the character he was known for playing. Twenty years later he penned another book. That ironic title is, "I AM Spock".

Answer: All are considered feminist authors

Patricia Ireland, former president of the National Organization for Women, penned "What Women Want" in 1996. Erica Jong is the writer of eight novels including the popular "Fear of Flying" which has sold nearly 18 million copies worldwide. Gloria Steinem is one of the world's most renowned feminists. Authoring works such as "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions" and "Revolution from Within" was only part of her plight as a writer.

She also has worked in the magazine industry, famously beginning "Ms" magazine which is known for having no advertising.

Answer: All are associated with suicide

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley is a novel the author had hoped would provide a disturbing vision of the future. The title comes from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" in which the character Miranda exclaims "How beautious mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in it". Also deriving its title from a Shakespeare play (Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 5 Scene 5) is William Faulkner's "The Sound and The Fury".

The Sylvia Plath work, "The Bell Jar" was originally published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas.

After Plath's suicide it was released under her name, in spite of her mother's attempts to stop it. The book is thought to be semi-autobiographical with the main character's mental state paralleling Plath's experiences. Although all of the works are connected to suicide, "Romeo and Juliet" is one of the most well known works in the world that includes this theme.

Many films, plays and productions have either performed the Shakespeare work directly (1968's Oscar winning film adaptation from director Franco Zeffirelli) or have copied the theme in a modern setting (like West Side Story).

Answer: Literary simpletons

Although in their respective novels Forrest was an idiot savant, Lenny was overweight and Chauncey was addicted to television, they do not all share the limitations implied by those bonds. Chauncey is a character in Jerzy Konsinki's "Being There". Lenny is from Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Boo is a character found in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Forrest Gump is the simpleton in the book with the same name.

Answer: vampire

Two more literary vampires (that made their way from television to literature) are Spike and Angel of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series many of which were written by Christopher Golden.

Answer: Dr. Seuss

Bartholomew was an oobleck. Thidwick was a big hearted Moose. Yertle was a turtle. And Sam was the supporter of green eggs and ham. Other memorable Dr. Seuss characters include Horton, who heard a Who, the Cat in the Hat and the famous Grinch who stole Christmas. Dr Seuss, whose full name was Dr.

Theodore Seuss Geisel, was commemorated on a thirty seven cent stamp featuring some of the aformentioned characters in 1999.

Answer: James Michener settings

Other locations used by Michener include the South Pacific, Texas, Hawaii, and Poland. Many of his works are epic sagas that span generations in a specific geographic location. He won a Pulitzer Price in Fiction in 1948 as well as a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.