I Also Wrote (British Authors) Quiz

Answer: Mansfield Park

Jane Austen (1775-1817) remains a popular novelist to this day. Her most noteworthy novels include "Sense and Sensibility", "Pride and Prejudice", "Emma" and "Northanger Abbey".

"Mansfield Park" was Austen's third novel. It told the story of Fanny Price, who was sent from her impoverished family to live at the Mansfield Park estate of her uncle and suffered abuse from many family members. Many critics consider "Mansfield Park" to be Austen's most complex and difficult novel, lacking the more clear-cut black and white definitions in her other novels. Others consider it to be her most profound.

Answer: The Life and Death of Mr. Badman

John Bunyan (1628-1688) is best remembered for his allegory "The Pilgrim's Progress". Following service in the English Civil War, Bunyan experienced a religious conversion and began preaching. Due to his nonconformist views, he was imprisoned for twelve years during which time he wrote "The Pilgrim's Progress". It was widely read at its initial release and revived in popularity during Victorian times, although it now seems of more academic interest.

Bunyan's other notable works include expanded sermons, "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners", "The Holy War", and "The Life and Death of Mr Badman". The latter was intended to be a companion novel to "The Pilgrim's Progress". It was a day-log dialogue between Mister Wiseman and Mister Attentive about redemption and sin, occasioned by the death of Mr. Badman.

Answer: The Comedians

Graham Greene (1904-1981) was one of the major novelists of the 20th century, noted both for his spy and thriller books and those exploring life from a Roman Catholic moral perspective. "The Power and the Glory" is one of Greene's so-called Catholic novels, along with "Brighton Rock", "The End of the Affair", and "The Heart of the Matter". It tells the story of a flawed "whisky priest" living in Mexico at the time that the Mexican Government was suppressing organized religions.

Greene's thriller novels include "Our Man in Havana", "The Quiet American", "The Confidential Agent", and "A Burnt-out Case". One of these, "The Comedians" is set in Haiti, where it explores the political repression of the Duvalier regime and his secret police, the infamous Tontons Macoutes.

Answer: Decline and Fall

Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) was considered one of the great prose stylists of the 20th century. He's most well known for "Brideshead Revisited", which was adapted into a highly successful television series. It provided a nostalgic view of upper-class English society in the aftermath of World War I.

Other novels by Waugh include "Decline and Fall", "A Handful of Dust", and his trilogy "Sword of Honour". "Decline and Fall" was Waugh's first published novel, a satirical look at various features of British society.

Answer: Tambourlaine

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1594) is considered one of the greatest English playwrights despite his tragic death at age 29. Marlowe was one of the first playwrights to write in blank verse, and many authorities believe he influenced the development of Shakespeare.

His most famous plays are "Doctor Faustus", "Tamburlaine", and "The Jew of Malta". "Tamburlaine" is a play in two parts that tells the story of the central Asian lord Timur or Tambourlaine from his humble beginnings to his final days as conqueror of a large part of the world.

Answer: Troilus and Cresyeyde

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) was an author, poet, philosopher, and official who helped popularize the use of English in literature, rather than Latin or French.

His magnum opus "The Canterbury Tales" resembles Boccaccio's "The Decameron", with which Chaucer may have been familiar from his stay in Italy. The prologue hints that each of the 30 pilgrims were to tell four tales each, and there is some belief that parts of the book may have been lost.

Other works by Chaucer include "The Book of the Duchess", "The Parliament of Fowls", "A Treatise on the Astrolabe", and "Troilus and Cresyeyde". Troilus was one of Chaucer's earlier works, a retelling of the Greek legend of the ill-fated lovers.

Answer: Lord Jim

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) is one of the few writers who became master stylists in a language they didn't speak fluently until reaching adulthood. His mother tongue was Polish; and he lived in France for a while speaking French fluently. He then spent over 15 years in the British Merchant Marine, which provided background for many of his stories and increasing command of English.

"Heart of Darkness" is probably the most well known novel or novella by Conrad, narrating the story of a cruel European manager in Africa. Initially it was not viewed as a success, but now is regarded as an important work of literature.

Conrad's other works include "Typhoon", "Lord Jim", "The Secret Agent", and "Nostromo". "Lord Jim" tells the story of a young seaman who abandoned a ship in danger of sinking and the continuing consequences of that act of cowardice.

Answer: Rape of the Lock

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was one of the foremost English poets and is said to be the second most quoted English writer after Shakespeare. He was largely self-taught due to restrictions of the Test Acts and suffered from ill-health for most of his life.

His most famous extended poems include "An Essay on Criticism", "Essay on Man", "The Dunciad", and "The Rape of the Lock". The latter is a mock-heroic poem that was based on an actual event. Lord Petre had snipped a lock of Lady Arabella Fermor hair without her permission, causing a breach between the two noble families.

Answer: The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell (1903-1950) is famous for his allegorical and political novels "1984" and "Animal Farm". "The Road to Wigan Pier" was written in 1937 about the economic depression in northern England, including an evocative description of life of coal miners in Yorkshire and Lancashire and an argument for socialism. As a result of the book, he was placed under government surveillance for twelve years.

Orwell's experience in the Spanish Civil War led to the book "Homage to Catalonia". "Animal Farm" was published in 1945, capturing Orwell's disillusionment with Communism. "1984" was his last work, published in 1949 just before his death.

Answer: A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) was a pre-eminent Anglo-Irish satirist fondly remembered for "Gulliver's Travels". Born in Dublin of parents who had emigrated from England, Swift was involved in Irish politics and became dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

"A Tale of a Tub" was his first major work and perhaps his most masterly, a parody of the major religious divisions in England at that time and their excesses. "A Modest Proposal" mocked the heartless attitude toward the poor by suggesting that the impoverished Irish sell their children to the rich as food.

Answer: Samson Agonistes

John Milton (1608-1674) wrote one of the most famous epic poems, "Paradise Lost". After graduation from Cambridge, Milton lived for a while in Italy before returning to write religious polemics and teach.

By 1652 Milton had become blind and dictated "Paradise Lost", which was published in 1664. "Paradise Regained" was finished by 1667. "Samson Agonistes" was written about this same time as a retelling of the Biblical story of the blinded biblical hero Samson.

Answer: The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett (1949- ) is a Welsh-born author who has written a wide variety of novels. He originally became famous for his international thrillers, such as "Eye of the Needle", "The Key to Rebecca", and "The Man from St Petersburg". He also wrote a pair of World War II books "Jackdaws" and "Hornet Flight".

In a startling change, he wrote a series of historical novels starting with "Pillars of the Earth" and continuing with "World Without End" and "A Column of Fire". "Pillars of the Earth" is set in 12th century England and describes the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.

He also has written the Century trilogy, a story of five inter-related families from different countries affected by events in the 20th Century.

Answer: Howards End

E. M. Forster (1878-1970) became a member of the Apostles group at Cambridge, a predecessor of the more famous Bloomsbury Group. Forster's greatest achievement was "A Passage to India", set against the British Raj and the Indian Independence movement. He published only five novels during his lifetime, including "A Room with a View", "The Longest Journey", and "Howards End". A sixth, very personal novel, "Maurice" was released posthumously even though it was written many years earlier.

"Howards End" tells the story of three British families of different economic and cultural standing at the beginning of the 20th century. It traces the interactions between members of the families and the tragedy that befalls them, and their redemption.

Answer: The Mill on the Floss

George Eliot (1819-1880), the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, wrote seven novels. Her first novel "The Mill on the Floss" detailed the life of siblings Tom and Maggie Tulliver from a fictional mill town on the River Floss. It traces their life from the viewpoint of Maggie, describing how their close bond was broken and how they reconcile before their tragic death.

Other books by Eliot include "Silas Marner", "Adam Bede", and her masterwork "Middlemarch".

Answer: The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) wrote a number of novels set in the southwest counties of England. They include "Tess of the d'Ubervilles", "Far from the Madding Crowd", "Jude the Obscure", and "The Mayor of Casterbridge".

"The Mayor of Casterbridge" is the tale of Michael Henchard, who auctions off his wife and daughter in a drunken stupor. He later reforms, becomes a successful merchant and mayor of the town. The story continues with his reunion with his wife, her death, and his separation from his daughter.