Early American Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Cask of Amontillado

Set in Italy during carnival season, "The Cask of Amontillado" is a murder story rich with local color and Gothic details. His other works include the stories "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" as well as the poems "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee".

Answer: U.S. Civil War

Private Henry Fielding was a soldier in the U.S. Union Army which fought the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, 1861-1865. Crane himself was born in 1871, but critics agreed he wrote about the Civil War with great precision and praised the book for its realism.

Answer: Uncle Tom's Cabin

"Uncle Tom's Cabin" has received mixed reviews since its publication. Some critics have lauded its anti-slavery stance, while others criticize it for perpetuating racist stereotypes. For a time, she was neighbors with another major American writer, Mark Twain, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Answer: A

Although never explicitly stated in the novel, most readers assume the scarlet letter "A" stood for adultery, as that's what Hester was found guilty of. She didn't have much of a defense, considering she gave birth to a child while her husband had been abroad for two years.

Answer: San Francisco

The city of San Francisco adds a lively setting to the rather depressing tale of the slow-witted dentist McTeague, who devolves into jealousy, greed, and poverty. In 2008, McTeague's Saloon opened on Polk Street, with a large golden tooth hanging above its door in homage to its namesake character.

Answer: The House of the Seven Gables

"The House of Seven Gables" was built on purloined land and its original owner cursed it before being executed for practicing witchcraft. Tragedies follow for everyone who lives there. It's rather clear why Hawthorne is considered a Dark Romantic.

Answer: The Turn of the Screw

"The Turn of the Screw" offers an interesting example of the possibly unreliable narrator. Born in New York, James, whose brother was the famous psychologist William James, spent much of his life in the United Kingdom, eventually becoming a British subject before he died in Chelsea.

Answer: Moby-Dick

The full name of Melville's class is "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale". It depicts the destructive power of vengeance as well the very detailed intricacies of the use of whaling lines and sailor knots.

Answer: Little Women

"Little Women" was loosely based on Alcott's own family and was an immediate success with readers. Unbeknownst to those readers, Alcott was also writing thrillers under the pen name "A.M. Barnard." Alcott had a rich childhood, with her transcendentalist parents often socializing with major American writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau.

Answer: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was met with mixed reviews at the time, with critics citing it for vulgar language. But it remains an important work for its depiction of slavery, race relations, and friendship. As Ernest Hemingway declared, "All modern American literature comes from [Huck Finn]".