Oddities of the Literary World Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which writer of 'Pygmalion' had his priorities straight when he said, 'The true artist will let his wife starve, his children go barefoot, his mother drudge for his living at seventy, sooner than work at anything but his art'?

Answer: George Bernard Shaw

The Irish-born dramatist Shaw really wasn't such a bad guy, he was simply driven by his work, as the following quote points out admirably, 'The secret of being miserable is to have the leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not.' In reality, Shaw was a tireless activist for women's rights, among other worthy causes, and he was an excellent playwright to boot (see 'Major Barbara', for example.)

2. The originator of the novel form of writing lived in Japan during the 10th-11th centuries, and tirelessly produced 'The Tale of Genji' as her crowning achievement. It is ironic, then, that this lady of the Fujiwara court not only concealed her Chinese writing abilities for much of her life, but also her literacy itself! Name this charming author.

Answer: Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki was a typical woman of the Japanese court during the Heian period, except that she was literate and a fabulous writer. Not only has her 'The Tale of Genji' stood the test of time, her fascinating diaries are still available for public consumption, and we can get a glimpse of the decadent court life of the Heian period of Japanese history through her detailed and delicate accounts.

3. Which author based one (or perhaps two, depending on your perspective) of his most famous characters on the fascinating case of William Brodie, respected Edinburgh businessman by day, leader of a gang of thieves by night?

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson's inspiration for his character(s) Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde was derived from his fascination over the case of Brodie, who lived in Scotland in the 18th century. Brodie's dual life was eventually discovered, and he was executed for his criminal activity. I wonder if Freud's theories of the 'ego' and 'id' were also influenced by the story?

4. Many authors have spent time in prison, and great works have often been produced while they languished in a jail cell. Perhaps the grandest example of this phenomenon was the case of which 15th century French vagabond poet, who produced his greatest works, including his 'Grand Testament', while behind bars?

Answer: Fran�ois Villon

Villon's troubles began very early on in life. Born in 1431, he graduated at quite a young age from the University of Paris, attaining his master's degree at only 21 years of age. Unfortunately, at the age of 24, Villon was involved in a brawl which left one man dead (at Villon's hand.) Villon spent the next eight years in and out of prisons for various crimes, many of which he was hardly involved! The prison time did help Villon to concentrate on his writing, and he created some of the greatest French language works of poetry while immured. Sadly, Villon disappeared permanently from history in 1463, at only 32 years of age, with no evidence of his whereabouts ever found.

5. Which famous American author of 'The Naked and the Dead' ran for mayor of New York City in 1969, with a catchy campaign slogan that read 'No More BS'? (You can work out what 'BS' stands for, I'm sure).

Answer: Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer's very original mayoral campaign was, unfortunately for him, not successful. (He came in fourth place out of five candidates.) His ideas were most likely too radical for even the New York public to swallow. Luckily, Mailer had his writing career to keep him financially afloat.

6. The history of lurid and sexually expressive literature is long indeed, probably originating about the same time as the advent of writing! Which Italian author was responsible for one such literary work of the 16th century entitled 'Sonetti Lussuriosi'?

Answer: Pietro Aretino

Aretino's 'Sonetti Lussuriosi' is not for the faint of heart! His sonnets were created to accompany a series of erotic drawings made by Raphael's pupil Giulio Romano, and their primary purpose was probably to achieve public notoriety for the author (and to anger the church establishment.) It worked; Pope Clement VII condemned Aretino's collected works and had them banned from being further published. Aretino's works later found their way into the original forbidden book list produced by the Vatican, which was issued in 1558, two years after the author's death.

7. 'Excuse my dust' was the requested epitaph of which of the following irreverent authors?

Answer: Dorothy Parker

Despite popular rumors, 'Excuse my dust' was not the actual epitaph of Dorothy Parker, but rather a clever request she had made when a friend asked her for suggestions (Parker was well-known for several suicide attempts.) At another time, Parker had suggested 'This is on me', even more irreverent yet! For the full story of Parker's post death tale, see the following webpage, dedicated to the topic: http://www.dorothyparkernyc.com/dot33.htm

8. What pseudonym did Jane Austen use on the title pages of all the novels she published during her lifetime?

Answer: None

Indeed, all of Austen's novels that were published during her lifetime (two were published posthumously) were done so anonymously. It was rare in Austen's time for a female author to publish works with name attached, and Austen herself thought it proper to maintain a low public profile.

Hence, during her lifetime rarely a soul knew of the genius behind works such as 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility'! Incidentally, even in today's world the phenomenon of hiding female authorship persists.

A prime example would be J. K. Rowling. The initials were used in lieu of Rowling's first name, Joanne, for fear that young boys would not read her books!

9. Which of these great authors received the scandalous sum of 10 pounds for his greatest work of literature, 'Paradise Lost'?

Answer: John Milton

Milton, the blind poet of 17th century England must surely have received the worst publishing deal of all time. He sold the publishing rights to his epic verse work 'Paradise Lost' to a certain Samuel Simmons in 1667. Not long after, Milton died and his widow Elizabeth subsequently sold off the rest of the copyright to Simmons for an additional eight pounds.

The title 'Paradise Lost' now becomes even more appropriate...

10. You may have heard that Edgar Allan Poe once appeared nude for a public parade at West Point, and was expelled soon following. However, he was not quite nude. What was he said to have worn to the public display?

Answer: White belt and gloves

Poe was quite the eccentric fellow it appears. The author of such works as 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' and 'The Purloined Letter' proved this out quite amply in 1831 at the age of 21 when he arrived nearly naked for a military parade, apparently desiring a way out of West Point.

He received his wish when he was expelled for 'gross neglect of duty' soon after pulling his legendary feat. Interestingly, Poe was simply following the dressing orders he had received prior to the parade, which called for 'white belts and gloves, under arms'.

He even dutifully carried his rifle, on shoulder, to the scene of his 'crime'. Thank you for having a go at this quiz, and remember...to be creative you must be a bit eccentric...

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

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Reading about the lives of the most famous authors of history could very well be more interesting than reading the works they produced! Here are some examples of my findings...

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