Who, What, Where, or When - Literature Quiz

Answer: Enkidu

The "Epic of Gilgamesh", an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem, was lost to the modern world until it was discovered at Nineveh in 1853 by Hormuzd Rassam. George Smith published the first modern translation in the early 1870s. Currently, there are 12 tablets that form the foundation for the modern translation.

Answer: Humbert Humbert

Vladimir Nabokov's tragicomic novel, "Lolita", was drafted in English and completed during 1953. He published the novel in Paris in 1955. Nabokov translated his work into Russian and published the translation in 1967.

"Lolita" became one of the most recognizable representations of 20th century literature. The work was adapted to two movies, the first filmed in 1962 and the second in 1997. It has been the subject of songs, operas, ballets, and a Broadway musical.

Answer: Yorkshire Moors

Emily Bronte published "Wuthering Heights" in 1847 under the alias of Ellis Bell. Sadly, it was her first and last published novel; she died the year following the publication. She was only thirty years of age at her passing.

The tragic love story of (and the repercussions of choices made by) Heathcliff and Catherine has been adapted for numerous films. The 1939 version was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Answer: 1866

Fyodor Dostoyevsky first published the novel in serial form consisting of twelve monthly installments. "Crime and Punishment" was the second of Dostoyevsky's novels after the completion of his ten-year Siberian exile. He initially titled the concept of the work as "The Drunkards".

Answer: Ishmael

Herman Melville first published "Moby-Dick" in 1851. The full title of the work is "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale".

"Moby-Dick" is judged to be one of the 'Great American Novels'. The 'Great American Novel' is the idea of a book that is considered to be the best embodiment of the zeitgeist (spirit of the time) in the United States. Other works considered to be 'Great American Novels' are Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", and J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye", to name a few.

Answer: The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha

Don Quixote's orthonym (true name) was Alonso Quijano. The idiom "tilting at windmills" is based on an incident in the story. The novel was published in two volumes; the first in 1605 and the second on 1615.

Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare both passed away on April 23, 1616, however their deaths were actually several days apart. Cervantes died in Spain on April 23, 1616 (Gregorian calendar) and Shakespeare died in England on April 23, 1616 (Julian calendar). This would equate to Shakespeare's death occurring approximately ten days after Cervantes' passing.

Answer: Japan

Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese noblewoman, authored the literary classic "The Tale of Genji" during the 11th century.

"The Tale of Genji" is considered by some academicians to be "the first novel" or "the first novel still considered to be a classic"; however there is an ongoing debate about the work's status. Unfortunately, the original manuscript no longer exists. Over 300 ancient copies of the classic are available; however each contains variances as compared to the others.

Answer: 1949

George Orwell (real name: Eric Arthur Blair) was impaired by tuberculosis while he penned the novel, which ultimately became his final completed book. His other well-known book was "Animal Farm".

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" produced several phrases and concepts still in use today; Big Brother, unperson, the Thought Police, thoughtcrime, and Newspeak are a few examples.

An asteroid discovered by Antonín Mrkos, Czech astronomer, in July 1984 was named in honor of Orwell - the 11020 Orwell.

Answer: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso

The three parts of Dante's masterpiece are Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise).

Durante degli Alighieri, also known as Dante, wrote the "Divine Comedy" between 1308 and 1321. The epic poem was originally titled "Comeděa". Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian writer and author of the "Decameron", added the "Divina" to the title when he made copies of the work in the 1360s.

Auguste Rodin's sculpture, "The Kiss", was inspired by the two lovers, Francesca and Paolo, who were featured in Circle 2, Canto 5 of Dante's Inferno.

Answer: Lemuel Gulliver

The original title of the work is "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships." Initially published in 1726, it has never been out of print since that time.

Swift mentioned the moons of Mars in the Part 3, Chapter 3 of the book. Fiction became fact upon Asaph Hall's discovery of Phobos and Deimos, approximately 150 years later.