Dylan & Literary Influence Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pound

"And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot / Fighting in the captain's tower . . . / Between the windows of the sea / Where lovely mermaids flow." Dylan may also be alluding, in these last two quoted lines, to T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," which contains these verses: "We have lingered in the chambers of the sea,/ By sea-girls wreathed in seaweed, red and brown,/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown."

Answer: Dylan Thomas

Bob Dylan's name was originally Robert Zimmerman. Some believe he borrowed his new name from Dylan Thomas, though he has denied it. Dylan Thomas wrote "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." The other three names given as choices are not the names of real poets, though there is a Matthew Arnold and a William Wordsworth.

Answer: Lord Randall

The earliest version of this ballad, which is probably Scottish in origin, was published in the late 1700's. Joan Baez may have introduced Dylan to the ballad, which is about a young man who has been poisoned by his lover's mother. The ballad opens: "'O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son? / And where ha you been, my handsome young man?' / 'I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,/
For I'm wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.'"

Answer: Jokerman

Alexander Pope, in his "An Essay on Criticism," wrote: "Nay, fly to Altars; there they'll talk you dead; / For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread." An allusion to this line is also included in "A Fool Such As I."

Answer: Subterranean Homesick Blues

Compare Dylan's: "Better jump down a manhole, light yourself a candle / Don't wear sandals, and try to force a scandal / Don't want to be a bum, you'd better chew gum / The pump don't work cuz the vandals took the handle" with Browning's "Look, two and two go the priests, then the monks with cowls and sandals / And the penitents dressed in white shirts, a-holding the yellow candles / One, he carries a flag upstraight, and another a cross with handles / And the Duke's guard brings up the rear, for the better prevention of scandals."

Answer: Sweetheart Like You

Boswell, in his "Life of Johnson," attributes to Dr. Samuel Johnson the following quote: "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Dr. Johnson is most famous for his dictionary.

Answer: Romeo and Ophelia

Shakespeare does not have a character called Cinderella; this character comes from the fairy tale. The song mentions Romeo: "And in comes Romeo, he's moaning / 'You Belong to Me I Believe'" and Ophelia: "Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window." Romeo comes from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," Ophelia from his "Hamlet."

Answer: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

None of the other three are characters created by Victor Hugo. Cain, Abel, and the Good Samaritan all come from the Bible. Cinderella is found in fairytales. But Victor Hugo wrote a novel called "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Answer: Robin Hood

The lyrics are: "Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood / With his memories in a trunk / Passed this way an hour ago / With his friend, a jealous monk."

Answer: Verlaine's and Rimbaud's

"Situations have ended sad, / Relationships have all been bad. / Mine have been like Verlaine's and Rimbaud." The two poets had a tumultuous relationship, and Verlaine once shot at Rimbaud, hitting his wrist.