Outstanding Novels Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thomas Hardy

"Jude the Obscure" begins with the premise of a young man's (Jude) ambition to become a scholar. His lust for learning is sidetracked when he is tricked into marriage then abandoned by her. He renews his plan and moves to the city to seek guidance from his old schoolmaster. There he is reacquainted with Sue, a cousin. She marries the schoolmaster but finds that physical intimacy disgusts her. Jude and Sue fall in love and live in a chaste relationship. The former spouses enter and exit their lives, eventually leading to a tragic outcome.

Hardy was quite disturbed by the reactions to his novel. It was called shocking and immoral and was condemned by church leaders. As a result Hardy never wrote another novel even though he lived another 33 years, concentrating on his poetry and essays.

I read this only recently from a challenge by a book club member.

Answer: James Jones

After World War Two there was an outpouring of novels, often by veterans of that war, based on their experiences. James Jones was a WWII veteran and the book covers the transition from peace time military life to a war mentality with the backdrop of Hawaii and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The book won the National Book Award in 1951 and was named one of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th century by the Modern Library Board.

In 1953 the film adaptation was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won 8 for Best Picture, Best Director (Fred Zinnemann), Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed). The rumor that Frank Sinatra used Mafia influences to get the role are unfounded. It was later adapted for two TV mini-series.

It is worth noting that Hays Office censors were still in charge but their power was dwindling. However, numerous changes were made to comply. Donna Reed's role was changed from a prostitute to a dance club hostess, references to homosexuality and venereal disease were eliminated, violent scenes in the book were referred to, not filmed.

I read this while stationed in the military in Hawaii. Many of the sites in the book were still in existence.

Answer: Victor Hugo

In recent years "Les Misérables" has enhanced the Broadway stage and was a major motion picture event. However, considering all media and foreign language productions, literally hundreds of adaptations have been made. Most adaptations concern the relationship between Valjean and Javert, the hunted and the hunter.
To me, the first part of the novel is the most interesting, although the musical concentrates on the latter part that has more action and romance.

As a young high school kid, reading it on my own, it was a challenge to complete the 800 plus pages. I remember struggling through several chapters when Valjean contemplates the issues as to whether he should steal the Bishop's candlesticks. Always, just as things seemed positive for Valjean, Javert would enter and force him into a new life.

It is interesting to look at some of the actors who have played Valjean and Javert:

1935- Fredric March and Charles Laughton
1998- Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush
2000- Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich (mini-series)
2012- Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe

Answer: Victor Appleton (pseudonym)

When I was in the fifth grade I changed schools. In the back of the room were several dusty and ragged Tom Swift books. To me they were magic, as Tom would always supply the latest invention from his creative mind. It opened up a world to me of the possibilities of science and lead me to appreciate other science fiction writers such as Jules Verne and H.G. Welles.

Although the originals were published in 1910, every few years the series has been revived for young readers. The books were supposedly written by Victor Appleton, but were really written by many writers who operated under that pseudonym. Ray Kurzweil, Robert A. Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov all praise the Tom Swift books as influences on their lives. Steve Wozniak's favorite reading as a boy were the Tom Swift books, and they inspired him to become a scientist. Wozniak said the books made him believe that "engineers can save the world from all sorts of conflict and evil".

There are a number of web sites devoted to what are called 'Tom Swifties'. Humor is derived from the use of adverbs such as "Let's eat!" said Tom hungrily.

Answer: Ole Edvart Rĝlvaag

There are always groans when the English teacher passes out a book that everyone must read--and be tested. However, reading this long narrative was in the end a pleasure, even if retrospectively.

Rĝlvaag was head of the Norwegian Department at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He came as an emigrant to the Dakotas and struggled with his family with the harshness of life in those pioneer days. Rĝlvaag captured that spirit in his novel "Giants in the Earth" but he wrote it in Norwegian, perhaps for his land of birth. Subsequently it was translated into English and was both critically acclaimed and a best seller. This was followed by two more novels that complete the trilogy "Peder Victorious" (1928 and "Their Fathers' God" (1931).

In the Dakotas one can travel for miles and see nothing but rolling prairie. Reading Rĝlvaag's novels is like that, in that there seems to be a rhythm akin to a mixture of prose and poetry that carries you along.

Answer: Leo Tolstoy

In the military I was assigned to a locked psychiatric ward. On the night duty shift, you worked alone on the ward while others did other tasks such as cleaning. Most of the time the ward was very quiet and you were allowed to do some reading to pass the time. Tired of predictable mysteries and westerns, I picked up a copy of "War and Peace" that was 1000 plus pages long. I was able to follow it at that time, but was quite confused as the characters all seemed to have titles such as 'Prince', 'Princess', 'Count' or 'Countess' that was confusing to me. I had a fairly good grasp of the thrust of the book at the time but in the intervening years it has deserted me.

The title is the plot as noble Russians try to manage their lives under the threat of conflict with Napoleon's armies . Later I was to find "Anna Karenina" and Tolstoy's short stories more accessible.

Answer: Herman Wouk

This again is one of those post-WWII novels that dominated popular literature in that era when veterans looked back on their war experiences. Herman Wouk served as a naval officer in the Pacific aboard a minesweeper, and participated in eight invasions. He became a published novelist but it was not until his third book that he wrote about the war. "Caine Mutiny" not only was a run-away best seller but also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1951. The mutiny was not a violent one but a relieving of command due erratic behavior of the captain.

In 1954 it came to the silver screen and was the top box office success of that year. In addition the film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart, Best Supporting Actor (Tom Tully), Best Screenplay, Best Sound Recording, Best Film Editing, and Best Dramatic Score. The theme is that the military may not be perfect but it stands between us and chaos. It might be compared to "A Few Good Men".

If you never figured it out, the stewards ate the strawberries.

Answer: Erskine Caldwell

It was certainly not on the English teachers' reading lists nor the subject of critical book reports, but this novel found its way into many hands, not for its literary quality but for the titillation. To the adolescent mind it was the source of humor and winks, but Erskine Caldwell was saying a lot more than that.

His novels, particularly "God's Little Acre" and "Tobacco Road", reflected the poverty, racism, and social problems in the American South, and were critically acclaimed. But there also was controversy as Southerners felt he was deprecating the people of the region.

"God's Little Acre" tells of a dysfunctional farming family in Georgia, obsessed with sex and wealth.

Answer: Mario Puzo

Mario Puzo tackled the difficult task of humanizing career criminals. Not only was his novel a best seller, but it also became the basis for three successful films. The films reaped Academy Awards for Marlon Brando and Robert Di Niro, who played the same character but in different films. "The Godfather Part II" won six Oscars, and became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Besides the novel, Puzo was involved in all three screenplays.

Puzo treats the characters as members of a 'family' running a family business that requires them to be ruthless at times, but operate with an ethical code. For instance, they do not participate in the drug trade. Loyalty to the family is strict. If one chooses to take issue, they may receive an offer that they cannot refuse.

I read most of "The Godfather" riding the bus to and from work.

Answer: John Steinbeck

"Cannery Row" is not one of Steinbeck's more familiar works, but it was one that made such an impression on me that I wanted to include it. Monterey, California is the site of several fish processing plants, and supplies some income for a group of well intended derelicts, many of whom are tied to a life of alcoholism. A local marine biologist, "Doc", has assisted many of them and they decide to give him a party that turns into disaster. They hope to redeem themselves with a second party.

The book is punctuated by colorful characters such as Chong, the local grocer and Mack, the leader of a group of derelicts. Eddie, a bartender, kept a gallon jug under the bar with a funnel. Anything left unfinished was poured into the funnel resulting in a mixture of rye, beer, bourbon, scotch, wine, rum and gin that Eddie disbursed to his friends.

In 1982 "Cannery Row" was filmed starring Nick Nolte as Doc, Debra Winger as Suzy, and M. Emmet Walsh as Mack. It earned an 80% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
Ocean View Avenue in Monterey had its name changed to Cannery Row upon publication of the book to attract tourists.