Who the Devil Wrote It? Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Golding

Written by William Golding, "Lord of the Flies" is a dystopian novel which centres on a group of young English boys, who find themselves stranded on an uninhabited island. Published in 1954, "Lord of the Flies" is Golding's first novel, and has much to say about humanity's struggle with good and evil.

The island itself can be seen as a metaphor for the Garden of Eden, especially in the early chapters, in which the island is largely described as a paradise, with its very own "lagoon", and a shore that is "fledged with palm trees". However as with its biblical counterpart, evil also invades this paradise and this directly coincides with the boys' arrival. Indeed their arrival on the island, which is due to a plane crash, tarnishes it forever, leaving a "long scar smashed into the jungle", which is a permanent reminder of man's capacity for spreading evil, a theme that runs throughout the entire novel.

In this particular novel the figure of the Devil is wholly metaphorical, with multiple characters succumbing to his influence. Yet there is no doubting the fact that the Devil is present, and we need only look to the title of Golding's novel for proof of this. The Devil has many names, one of which is Beelzebub, and the novel's title, "Lord of the Flies", is a literal translation of this name. Lord of the Flies, along with numerous other terms, is therefore a synonym for Satan, the Devil himself. As anyone who has read the novel knows, the influence of the Lord of the Flies runs through the novel, and is instrumental in the deaths of Simon and Piggy, as well as the corruption of the rest of the boys. Many also argue that it is the force that allows Roger to reveal his true self, so that he goes from being "a slight furtive boy whom no one knew", to one who wants to harm others in the middle of the novel, only to be restrained by the "invisible yet strong" taboo "of the old life". However by the final chapters of "Lord of the Flies", Roger has revealed his inner devil, and the torturer within, who launches the boulder that kills Piggy, and hunts for Ralph with a stick that has been sharpened "at both ends".

Answer: William Langland

"William's Vision of Piers Plowman", which I will refer to from here on out as simply "Piers Plowman", is a long, allegorical poem written by William Langland around 1379. Often referred to as a dream vision poem, due to the fact that, starting in the "Prologue", the narrator (named Will), slumbers "into a sleeping" that produces a "marvellous swevene". This dream eventually develops into a series of visions, which results in Will embarking on a journey, to discover the best way that one may live on earth and still achieve eternal salvation.

Organised into a series of parts, referred to as Passus 1-20, the Anti-Christ attacks in the very last Passus of the poem, the apocalyptic Passus 20. Ever the deceiver, the Anti-Christ appears "in man's form" and quickly sets about causing chaos, cutting "away truth" so that "guile grows there" instead. Many swiftly fall under his spell, unable to withstand his influence, and so "Friars followed that fiend", and soon "the Anti-Christ over all folk reigned". Eventually, the "Anti-Christ [has] thus soon hundreds at his banner", having become the leader "over kind Christen and Cardinal Virtues". With such prevalent corruption and sin ruling the world, good, in the form of Conscience, Kynde and Contrition (as well as several others) struggles to survive. As a result, in the final lines of the poem, Conscience urges Grace to seek out their last hope - the humble "Piers the Plowman", whom they believe is the only one who may destroy their ultimate enemy, facilitated by the Anti-Christ himself, which is the sin of Pride.

Answer: Christopher Marlowe

"The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus", or simply "Doctor Faustus", is a sixteenth-century play written by English dramatist, Christopher Marlowe. The events of the play are centred on Faustus himself, who turns away from medicine and the law, to the more appealing and more dangerous art of necromancy. Soon enough, Faustus is visited by Mephistopheles, "a servant to great Lucifer", who having heard Faustus "rack the name of God/ Abjure the Scriptures and his Saviour Christ", has appeared in the hope of claiming "his glorious soul". Unafraid, Faustus pledges allegiance to Beelzebub, and so makes clear his worship of the Devil. Not content with this, Faustus then quite literally then makes a deal with the Devil, by promising his soul to Lucifer, if he will let "him live in all voluptuousness" for another "four-and-twenty years".

Over time Faustus begins to regret his blood oath to Lucifer, but all to no avail, as he is eventually made to pay his debt to the Devil himself. The A-text version of the play has the doctor being dragged down to Hell by Lucifer and Mephistopheles, who do not heed his pleas for mercy. However the B-text version of the play ends with more graphic detail, as several scholars see "Faustus' limbs/ All torn asunder". This serves to emphasise the power and viciousness of Lucifer and can be seen as a warning to Faustus' devoted students, against following the same path as their mentor.

Answer: James Hogg

"The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner" is a nineteenth-century novel written by Scottish writer, James Hogg. The plot of the novel focuses on Robert Wringhim, a tormented man who, under the influence of an enigmatic "stranger", widely accepted to be Satan himself, murders his brother, before then killing himself.

During a revealing conversation with his mother and father, who both claim that their son has "transformed since the morning", Robert mentions a mysterious stranger. Though initially Robert believed the man to be an ordinary fellow, in light of his parents' comments he does consider "the idea that he might be an agent of the Devil". From then on, Robert cannot escape the possibility that his "illustrious friend", known as Gil Martin, is Satan himself, irrespective of his seemingly human form. Indeed Gil Martin is undeniably a bad influence on Robert, constantly leading him away from prayer, and possessing the uncanny, "chameleon art of changing" his appearance. Though this character may well be a figment of Robert's imagination, it is nonetheless clear that the Devil features heavily in this particular novel.

Answer: Nathaniel Hawthorne

"The Scarlet Letter" is a nineteenth-century novel written by American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel focuses on adulteress Hester Prynne, who bears the child of her secret lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister of her church, and is forced to wear a scarlet A as a reminder of her sin. To make matters worse for Hester, her husband, known only by his alias, Roger Chillingworth (who has long been thought lost at sea) vows to take his revenge on his wife's lover.

Symbolically, the Devil appears throughout this particular novel, and is often referred to as the "Black Man". Hester herself uses this same euphemism several times throughout the novel, particularly when referring to the scarlet A she is forced to wear. Indeed she believes it to be the stamp of the Devil, and tells her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, so, explaining "Once in my life I met the Black Man...This scarlet letter is his mark." However Hawthorne also frequently compares the vengeful Chillingworth to the Devil. In chapter 4, Hester refers to him as "the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us". She is also seen making a deal with this devil, by agreeing to keep her husband's real identity a secret. All in all, in this novel the Black Man is seen as the Puritans' symbol of all evil - the Devil himself.

Answer: Mark Twain

"The Mysterious Stranger" is an early twentieth-century novel written by American novelist, Mark Twain. Unlike many other pieces of literature, Twain's novel includes a character named Satan. Moreover Twain wrote several different versions of the story, but died leaving each one unfinished. Among these is a version often referred to as "The Chronicle of Young Satan", which is inherently moralistic, exploring, as it does, the sinful actions of a village priest named Father Adolf, who accuses a fellow priest of theft, and has him (purposely) wrongly imprisoned.

The gold coins the imprisoned priest is accused of stealing are actually technically his own, as they have been given to him (indirectly) by Satan himself. However in an act of shameful greed, Father Adolf betrays his fellow priest in order to obtain the coins for himself.

Answer: John Milton

"Paradise Lost" is a long, epic poem, written by English poet, John Milton. As Milton himself states at the very beginning of "Book I", his intent is to cover "Man's disobedience" and the "loss thereupon of Paradise", as well as Satan's expulsion from Heaven for "revolting from God".

Therefore Satan is supremely important to each one of Milton's twelve "Books", as the latter dedicates one of only two of his narrative arcs to him, Satan is present from the very beginning, and is a manipulative and charismatic character, who arrogantly asserts that it is "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n".

Answer: Dante Alighieri

"Inferno" is written by Dante Alighieri, and forms the first part of his epic poem, the "Divine Comedy", which was written in the fourteenth century. As a whole, the "Divine Comedy" tells of Dante's journey (which is aided by his guide, Virgil) through Hell, which in this particular work, has nine circles of suffering. Given the setting then, it is hardly surprising that the Devil, here referred to as Lucifer, makes an appearance - after all, this is his kingdom.

Here Lucifer appears to be truly sinister and unnerving, and despite once being one of God's treasured Archangels, he now has three faces and can be found at the very centre of Hell, where he is encased in ice.

Answer: Jacques Cazotte

"The Devil in Love" is an eighteenth-century Gothic novel, written by Frenchman, Jacques Cazotte. Known as "Le Diable amoureux" in French, "The Devil in Love" was originally intended to be a two part novel, but Cazotte only ever managed to complete the first part.

The plot of the novel centres on Don Alvaro, an arrogant upstart, who dabbles in the occult. However after invoking Satan, Dan Alvaro gets more than he bargained for when the former falls in love with him. As a result, Satan transforms himself into a beautiful, young woman named Blondetta, and sets about solving Don Alvaro's financial woes.

However over time, Blondetta (aka Satan) also sometimes appears in a male form, and it is clear that Don Alvaro is aware that the "woman" who is pursuing him romantically is not in fact human.

Answer: Stephen King

Randall Flagg is an inter-dimensional being created by American horror writer, Stephen King. The primary villain in the 1978 novel, "The Stand", Randall Flagg is the embodiment of evil, who, in King's own words, is "tremendously attractive to men and women both, and somebody, who just appeals to the worst in all of us". Though the character was not originally intended to represent the Devil, King admits that Randall Flagg is different things to different people. Many do, therefore see Flagg as Satan, which is something that King acknowledges. In an interview for the chain of book stores, Borders, King admits that whether or not you see Flagg as Satan, his message is the same: "I know all the things that you want and I can give them to you, and all you have to do is give me your soul, which really isn't worth that much anyway."

Randall Flagg also has several different monikers, including Walter o'Dim, Richard Fry, Martin Broadcloak, The Ageless Stranger and The Dark Man. In addition, Flagg has appeared, both as a major and minor character, in many other novels and stories by Stephen King, including "The Eyes of the Dragon" and "The Dark Tower" series.