The World in Literature Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edgar Rice Burroughs

These are the opening lines of "Tarzan of the Apes." Tarzan was such a popular character that Burroughs wrote over twenty books in the series. "Tarzan of the Apes" was made into a movie in 1918. The 1934 sequel, "Tarzan and His Mate," starred Johnny Weissmuller, who was responsible for the famous "Tarzan" yell. Washington Irving, who actually issued a similar disclaimer in his 1819 short story "Rip Van Winkle," had died in 1859.

Henry David Thoreau, who had died in 1862, is best known for his reflective narrative "Walden." Stephen Crane's best known work was "The Red Badge of Courage" (1895).

Answer: Invisible Man

Ralph Waldo Ellison's 1952 novel, "Invisible Man," was one of the most prominent books of its time to deal with racial injustice. Still it is often confused with H.G. Wells' "THE Invisible Man." Originally serialized in 1897 for magazine publication, "The Invisible Man" is about a scientist who changes his "refractive index" to that of air and becomes invisible.

Unfortunately, he also loses his mind. "The Time Machine" (1895) popularized the idea of a vehicle accommodating purposeful and selective time travel. "The War of the Worlds" (1898) was the first novel to portray a world-wide alien invasion. Published only five years after the Wright Brothers first heavier than air flight, "The War in the Air" (1908) was one of the first novels to use airplanes in battle.

Answer: "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839)

The line actually continues, "through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher." Thus, "The Fall of the House of Usher" opens with a sixty word sentence. Poe's work is often ear-marked with such lengthy lines.

Answer: "The Scarlet Letter" (1850)

The American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was the descendant of a Puritan Minister and often wrote about the strict Puritan ways which he highly opposed. Like "The Scarlet Letter," the short stories "The Minister's Black Veil" and "Young Goodman Brown" are heavily influenced by this opposition.

Answer: "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895)

In this passage Algernon is speaking of his own piano playing. Still, the passage might readily describe Oscar Wilde's writing. With his unique views and unorthodox wit, he found himself the unofficial spokesman of Aestheticism. Unfortunately, his brilliant work was - and often is - overshadowed by his lifestyle.

Answer: 13

The opening line states, "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." This casual use of military time helps to establish a tone of regimental schedule, one of the elements Orwell used to simultaneously create order and chaos in his 1948 novel.

Answer: Beowulf

Written in Old English prior to the tenth century, Beowulf tells the story of a great warrior. The story is believed to have existed in oral form from as early as the sixth century, and possibly earlier. "The Bible" was certainly a very early text, but it was originally written in Hebrew and Greek and the first translations were into Latin.

The earliest English language Bibles were handwritten in the late 1300's by a group of scribes led by John Wycliffe. The Ancient Greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex" was written By Sophocles - in Ancient Greek. "Everyman" was written in English, but not until the late fifteenth century.

It's a prime example of the English morality plays common in that era.

Answer: Donatien Alphonse François

Donatien Alphonse François, le Marquis de Sade was an eccentric aristocrat before and during the French revolution. Much of his philosophy and writing was based on hedonism. The playwright, poet, essayist, philosopher François-Marie Arouet, better known by the penname Voltaire is often quoted as having said "I do not agree with what you say but I will defend the death your right to say it." (often translated "I may not agree...) While the quote certainly goes along with his philosophical beliefs social reform, on civil rights and religious freedom, there is little evidence that he actual said it.

The actual phrase seems to have coined sometime after his death. Marcel Mangel was born in Strasbourg, France, on March 22, 1923. Under the stage name Marcel Marceau, he has written several books, appeared on numerous television shows and movies, and won many awards and honors. Unfortunately none of his books have been on philosophy. Still, as the most famous mime in the world, one might wonder if his personal philosophy would not be Aestheticism. Likewise, Maupassant, though often considered the greatest French short story writer of all time, was not known for his philosophy.

Answer: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

In the 2003 movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Sean Connery plays Allan Quatermain, a character created by Sir Henry Ryder Haggard in his 1885 novel, "King Solomon's Mines." Jason Fleming played the dual role of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde created in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson for "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Peta Wilson's character, Mina, was the widow of Jonathan Harker, whose journal begins Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (1897). Journalist and author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley is famous for her romantic novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" (1818), in which Victor Frankenstein rejuvinates dead tissue and gives life to the creature which has become known as Frankenstein's Monster.

Shelley did not have a character represented in the film.

However, Jules Verne did have a character in the story, as did Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Herman Melville. H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man" is also represented in the tale, but his name has been changed for copyright reasons.

Answer: Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the science fiction magazine "Amazing Stories"

The "Hugo" Award is named after Hugo Gernsback, a publisher/writer of the early to mid 20th century. His magazine "Amazing Stories" was the first to be dedicated to science fiction. He was one the first people inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Kipling seems to have influenced Science Fiction with the development of a technique called "indirect exposition," in which an author can describe the setting of a fictional world through the senses and dialogue of the characters, rather than interrupting the action to do so. Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" are the tenets by which robots must function, and have been utilized in many tales, not all of which would be found on the science fiction shelf (i.e.

The Knight Industries Two Thousand had very similar programming.) The title, "The Father of Science Fiction" appears to be up for debate.

While many agree upon Wells, Jules Verne is not completely out of the running. And excellent arguments can be made on either side.