My love for English literature is something very prominent in my person and obvious to those who know me and those who don’t. It is a passion that I share with one of my sisters. We appreciate the language and the art of writing. We both write and read and then have raging discussions about it all. Anyway. Over the winter break she had to write up a quiz for her Academic Bowl group and her chosen topic was British Literature *yes I’m grinning now*. Given our love of the written word, the two of us got together to write up the questions. Since the whole literary thing is a big part of me I thought it would be fun to put up the quiz here. Just for fun !! Oh, just keep in mind that these questions are designed to be answered by high school kids, so they may be very easy.
Answers to all questions are in ‘white’ under the questions – so you’ll have to highlight text after ‘Answer:’ to view it.
Knock yourselves out !!
Q1. He wrote many of his poems in blank verse, possibly due to his tone deafness. Often viewed as the prototypical Victorian poet, he was the longest reigning Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, succeeding William Wordsworth and filling the post from 1850 to his death in 1892. During this time he penned many of his most famous works, including an elegy for his dearest friend, Arthur Hallam. This work, “In Memoriam”, as well as other works brought him great fame, and upon his death he was buried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. For ten points, name this man, author of such works as “Crossing the Bar” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
Answer: Alfred, Lord TENNYSON
Q2. It is written in the epistolary form, with the main story being told from a variety of viewpoints through newspaper articles, letters, as well as journals. Narrators include Jonathan and Mina Harker, as well as Dr. John Seward, all of whom are important players in the coming tale of horror. Classified as a gothic novel as well as an example of invasion literature, this novel, written in the late nineteenth century, has since inspired a plethora of film adaptations and television shows, and left its mark on popular culture. For ten points, name this novel, the masterpiece of Irish author, Bram Stoker.
Answer: DRACULA
Q3. He was knighted in 1442 and served in Parliament in 1444. Despite this, he had the reputation of being a wild, lawless man. He is thought to have spent most of the last twenty years of his life in prison and it is likely that this was where he did most of his writing as well. He is famous for his work on the Arthurian legend. His original work consisted of an eight-part romance and was titled The Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights of the Round Table. However, this was later printed by William Caxton under a different title. For ten points name this man, author of Morte D’Arthur.
Answer: Sir Thomas MALORY
Q4. Born in circa 1552, he studied under Richard Mulcaster at the Merchant Taylor’s School. He later said that it was this education that encouraged him to write verse and it is probable that Mulcaster served as the model for Wrenock, a character in one of this man’s works. He continued his education at Pembroke Hall where he befriended Gabriel Harvey. This relationship was later satirized in the play, Pedantius. Known to his contemporaries as the “prince of poets,” this man’s less known works include Amoretti and Epithalamion as well as A vewe of the present state of Irelande and Fowre Hymnes. For ten points, name this author of A Shepheardes Calendar and The Faerie Queene.
Answer: Edmund SPENSER
Q5. Born to a family of talented literaries, he wrote his first novel at the age of six. Educated by Jesuits, he drew inspiration for his writing from the works of Jules Verne and Edgar Allen Poe. His most popular work is arguably the most famous example of the mystery genre and has inspired many film adaptations, including a recent version starring Robert Downey Junior. He is well known for killing his most notable protagonist though his readers refused to accept this. For ten points name this man, author of A Study in Scarlet and creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Answer: Sir Arthur CONAN DOYLE
Q6. He was born in England in 1840, the first of four children. His mother’s stories were the inspiration for some of his later poetry, and his father was a builder and stonemason. His first published story, “How I Built Myself a House”, appeared in Chamber’s Journal in 1865. He went on to create the characters Jude and Tess, showing himself to be a writer of the naturalism movement. For ten points, name this man, author of Wessex Poems and Other Verses and Far from the Madding Crowd.
Answer: Thomas HARDY
Q7. He served as a part of the Red Cross in World War I, where he fell in love with a tram conductor. During this time he also wrote under the pseudonym ‘Pharos’, publishing many stories in the local newspaper. His work dealt with themes such as mysticism, class struggles, and sexuality, and he famously championed the rights of homosexuals in his essay “What I Believe.” His first critically acclaimed novel, Howard’s End, was wildly popular and was successfully adapted to the screen. For ten points, name this author of The Celestial Omnibus, A Passage to India, and A Room With a View.
Answer: E. M. FORSTER
Q8. He was born in poverty and worked as a clerk in a surgical appliance factory before becoming a teacher. Some of his non-fiction works include Psychoanalysis and the Unconscious and Movements in European History. His first poems were published in the English Review, but his writing career really took off with the publishing of his first novel, The White Peacock. After eloping with a married woman he wrote his novel Sons and Lovers, but his most famous work was banned in both the UK and the US as pornographic. For ten points, name this author of Lady Chatterly’s Lover.
Answer: D. H. LAWRENCE
Q9. He was born to a hosier and haberdasher and was early prone to fantastic visions of God, angels, and deceased people. His artistic talent led to him joining Henry Parr’s drawing school at the age of ten and then an apprenticeship with the engraver James Basire. It was only after his marriage to Catherine Sophia Boucher that he published his poetry in Poetical Sketches. Other works of his include The Book of Thel and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, but perhaps his most widely read poetic work was written as a pair. For ten points name this man, author of Songs of Innocence, “The Lamb,” and “The Tyger.”
Answer: William BLAKE
Q10. His mother died when he was fourteen, and two years later he suffered from the disease keratitis punctata. This made him completely blind for eighteen months, but he was later able to recover use of one of his eyes and by learning Braille and using special glasses he was able to continue his studies. Though he had wanted to be a scientist and a soldier, he was forced to pursue a career in writing due to his near blindness. He published an influential study on the expansion of consciousness through the use of the drug mescaline in his The Doors of Perception and later became addicted to LSD. For ten points, name this man, author of the dystopian novel Brave New World.
Answer: Aldous HUXLEY
Q11. Born on Christmas Day at the British embassy in Paris, this British author was the son of a writer and a lawyer though they both died when he was quite young. As a child he suffered from a stutter and was bullied incessantly. At the age of 16 he traveled to Germany to study at Heidelberg University where he learned philosophy and literature. He was homosexual but also had many affairs with women. His first novel Liza of Lambeth was published while he was studying medicine in London. His lesser known novels include The Magician, The Hero, and Sketches and Impressions of Andalusia. For ten points name this author of The Painted Veil and Of Human Bondage.
Answer: Somerset MAUGHAM
Q12. This poem is widely considered as a forerunner of the Romantic movement in Britain and later versions featured a “gloss.” First published in 1798, this poem is composed of seven parts with a grand total of 626 lines and it features characters such as the Wedding Guest and the Albatross as well as the titular character. It ends with the lines “He went like one that hath been stunned, And is of sense forlorn : A sadder and a wiser man, He rose the morrow morn.” For ten points, name this poem which features the line “Water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Answer: THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
Q13. A Romantic poet of the early nineteenth century, she was born to a Creole family from Jamaica, the eldest of twelve children. She suffered various physical ailments, including a spinal injury and lung disease, but this did not stop her from reading and writing. She published a translation of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. After publishing her collection Poems, she met her future husband, a fellow poet, with whom she exchanged 574 letters. For ten points, name this author of Sonnets from the Portuguese.
Answer: ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
Q14. He was born on Halloween in 1795 to a father who was an employee in a livery stable. Though he originally trained to be a doctor and natural historian, he later discovered his poetic talents. After much turmoil in his personal life, he published Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems in 1820. He is eulogized in the poem “Adonais” by Percy Shelley, one of his best friends. For ten points name this man, author of Endymion, “Ode to a Nightingale”, and Ode on a Grecian Urn.
Answer: John KEATS
Q15. He was born with a club foot and grew up to be quite a wild young man, gaining a reputation for racking up debts as well as a multitude of love affairs, some incestuous. His first collection of poetry, The House of Idleness, was not very successful but his The Corsair sold 10,000 copies on the first day of publication. He was so wildly popular that he inspired his own cult of personality and lends his name to a type of literary hero. For ten points name this man, the author of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and Don Juan.
Answer: Lord BYRON
Bonuses
1. For twenty points, name both, the man and woman, of this literary couple.
He was already married to another woman when they first met, but their love overcame that boundary. Her father tried to separate the lovers, but after her lover’s attempted suicide she decided to run away with him to France where they lived for eight years and had a son. Their relationship ended with his drowning, which prompted her to write her novel, The Last Man. For twenty points, name this man and woman, the authors of Prometheus Unbound and Frankenstein, respectively.
Answer: PERCY SHELLEY and MARY SHELLEY
2. For ten points each, name these Jane Austen heroines given a short plot description.
She is the second eldest of five sisters and her mother’s major goal in life was to see all of her daughters married. She is at first scorned by her future lover, Mr. Darcy, but he later changes his mind and falls in love with her. Name this heroine of Pride and Prejudice.
Answer: ELIZABETH BENNET
She is the middle of three sisters, and the daughter of a wealthy baronet who is known to be a profligate. She is most like her mother, a woman who is now long dead. She falls in love at the age of nineteen, but she is advised by Lady Russell to break off the engagement. Eventually, however, the couple reunites and she marries Captain Wentworth. Name this heroine of Persuasion.
Answer: ANNE ELLIOT
3. For ten points each, answer the following about a fantasy novelist.
He was born in Bloemfontaine, South Africa and grew up to be a World War 1 veteran, an Oxford professor, and a philologist, actually creating several of the languages used in his fantasy novels. Name this author of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and the creator of the mystical world of Middle Earth.
Answer: J.R.R. TOLKEIN
Tolkein’s magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings features Frodo’s quest to destroy a particular evil ring. However, many obstacles impede this goal, including a certain creature which has fallen prey to the evils of the ring. Name this creature, best known for his oft-repeated phrase, “My precioussss…”
Answer: GOLLUM / SMEAGOL
4. For ten points each, answer the following about a family of authors.
Their mother and two elder sisters died of cancer and consumption respectively, leaving their father Patrick to take care of them. He made sure that they were educated and they published many poems and novels under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Name these sisters, some of the most widely read Victorian female authors.
Answer: The BRONTË sisters
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne also had a brother who was a poet and painter, though not nearly as famous. He had an affair with an older, married woman and when this affair ended he sank into depression, drinking heavily and possibly turning to drug use. Name this “forgotten” Brontë, author of such poems as “Lydia Gisborne,” “Penmaenmawr,” and “Sir Henry Tunstall.”
Answer: Patrick BRANWELL Brontë
6. For ten points each, answer the following about medieval literature.
This is perhaps one of the most well known examples of a frame story, featuring several pilgrims on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sir Thomas Beckett. The story consists of the major characters swapping tales, including a tale about what women really want. Name this novel, the work of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Answer: THE CANTERBURY TALES
The Canterbury Tales written in this language, common in the 14th century but now a dead language. It was spoken around the same time that the Chancery Standard began to become widespread, aided by the invention of Caxton’s printing press. Name this language.
Answer: MIDDLE ENGLISH
7. For ten points each, answer the following about a novel.
It’s subtitle is “A Parish Boy’s Progress” and it follows the adventures of a young, orphan boy who escapes from the workhouses of England only to meet up with a gang of pickpockets, led by the Jewish criminal, Fagin and the Artful Dodger. Name this novel, the second work of Charles Dickens.
Answer: OLVIER TWIST
In Oliver Twist, Oliver is caught by a wealthy gentleman whose pocket he was told to pick. This man becomes his benefactor and treats him very kindly, eventually, saving Oliver from the wrath of Monks and Fagin. Name this man.
Answer: Mr. BROWNLOW
Give and Take – Pen Names
Her first work, Adam Bede, was dedicated to her husband, George Lewes, however they were never legally wed. She chose to not have children, which was also rare for her time period. She adopted a male pseudonym in order to escape discrimination and today it is by this name that she is better known. Name this female author of The Mill on the Floss, The Lifted Veil, and Middlemarch, whose pen name is George Eliot.
Answer: MARIANNE EVANS
He was born in India and joined the Indian Civil Service at the age of 19. Because of these experiences and other experiences of war, he came to be critical of capitalism, fascism, Stalinism, and imperialism. His works are satires of political systems and generally feature dystopian societies. Name this author of Animal Farm and 1984, whose pen name is George Orwell.
Answer: ERIC ARTHUR BLAIR
He was a mathematician and an Anglican clergyman in addition to being a poet. He is famous for creating new and interesting words in nonsense works such as “The Hunting of the Snark” and “Jabberwocky.” Name this author of Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland, whose pen name is Lewis Carroll.
Answer: CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON
He was born in Cairo, Egypt and studied to be a doctor. However, he eventually gave up his studies in order to become an author. He was later offered a Hollywood contract and thereafter spent several weeks each year in America as a screenwriter. He later served in World War II as part of Information Services, but ended this career when he was stricken with arteriosclerosis. Name this author of The African Queen and Horatio Hornblower, whose pen name is CS Forester.
Answer: CECIL SMITH
Shakespeare
Shakespeare was one of the most prolific and popular playwrights and poets of his time. Name some of his plays given the opening line and some characters.
Perhaps Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedy, this play is based on the feud between two Italian families and ends with a double suicide as well as several other deaths. It includes characters such as Escalus, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Benvolio in addition to the titular characters. Name this play which opens with the line “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”
Answer: ROMEO AND JULIET
It features such characters as Theseus, Hippolyta and Bottom, and it follows the mischief wrecked on Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena by the creature known as Puck. Name this play which opens with the line “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace; four happy days bring in another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes!”
Answer: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
This play features characters such as the Fool, the Doctor, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, in addition to the titular character, and it details the story of a King who wants to divide his land among his daughters. It ends with the deaths of all three daughters, as well as the death of the titular character. Name this play which opens with the Earl of Kent saying to the Earl of Gloster, “I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall.”
Answer: KING LEAR
The main of this play takes place in the Forest of Arden, though it begins in a French Duchy. The main characters include Frederick, Celia, and Orlando as well as the heroine Rosalind. It is the story of Rosalind’s escape from persecution at court. It is one of the few plays that ends happily, with the rightful Duke being restored and the main four couples being happily married in the last scene. Name this play which opens with the line “If I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath’d me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and , as thou say’st, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness.”
Answer: AS YOU LIKE IT
Brit Lit through the Ages
Name these periods of British literature given a brief description and a few works or authors.
Literature and writing became more popular during this time period and its main purpose was to distract people from mundane fears. Works from this period often involve fantasy realms with knights, monsters, and damsels in distress. Some of the important works from this era include the Arthurian Legend and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Name this period.
Answer: The MEDIEVAL period
This period is famous for its focus on Nature and self-reliance rather than reason. It encouraged emotions and imagination and sparked a movement of the same name in the United States. Writers of this period did not strive for perfection like their predecessors, but rather preferred the “glory of the imperfect.” Works from this period include “Lyrical Ballads” by Coleridge and Wordsworth, as well as earlier works like “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Name this period.
Answer: The ROMANTIC period
This period saw a lot of social and political change brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Literature of the period reflected this turmoil. This period is often split into two parts: early and late. Important early authors include Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Anthony Trollope while late authors include Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Name this period, named for the currently reigning queen.
Answer: The VICTORIAN period
This period, also known as the Restoration, features an emphasis on reason and logic as well as focus on harmony and stability. This period led to a belief in the basic evil of man as well as the belief that the world was fine as it was. Important authors of this period include Alexander Pope, Daniel Defoe, and Jonathan Swift. Name this period.
Answer: The NEOCLASSSICAL period
Q1. He wrote many of his poems in blank verse, possibly due to his tone deafness. Often viewed as the prototypical Victorian poet, he was the longest reigning Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, succeeding William Wordsworth and filling the post from 1850 to his death in 1892. During this time he penned many of his most famous works, including an elegy for his dearest friend, Arthur Hallam. This work, “In Memoriam”, as well as other works brought him great fame, and upon his death he was buried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. For ten points, name this man, author of such works as “Crossing the Bar” and “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
Answer: Alfred, Lord TENNYSON
Q2. It is written in the epistolary form, with the main story being told from a variety of viewpoints through newspaper articles, letters, as well as journals. Narrators include Jonathan and Mina Harker, as well as Dr. John Seward, all of whom are important players in the coming tale of horror. Classified as a gothic novel as well as an example of invasion literature, this novel, written in the late nineteenth century, has since inspired a plethora of film adaptations and television shows, and left its mark on popular culture. For ten points, name this novel, the masterpiece of Irish author, Bram Stoker.
Answer: DRACULA
Q3. He was knighted in 1442 and served in Parliament in 1444. Despite this, he had the reputation of being a wild, lawless man. He is thought to have spent most of the last twenty years of his life in prison and it is likely that this was where he did most of his writing as well. He is famous for his work on the Arthurian legend. His original work consisted of an eight-part romance and was titled The Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights of the Round Table. However, this was later printed by William Caxton under a different title. For ten points name this man, author of Morte D’Arthur.
Answer: Sir Thomas MALORY
Q4. Born in circa 1552, he studied under Richard Mulcaster at the Merchant Taylor’s School. He later said that it was this education that encouraged him to write verse and it is probable that Mulcaster served as the model for Wrenock, a character in one of this man’s works. He continued his education at Pembroke Hall where he befriended Gabriel Harvey. This relationship was later satirized in the play, Pedantius. Known to his contemporaries as the “prince of poets,” this man’s less known works include Amoretti and Epithalamion as well as A vewe of the present state of Irelande and Fowre Hymnes. For ten points, name this author of A Shepheardes Calendar and The Faerie Queene.
Answer: Edmund SPENSER
Q5. Born to a family of talented literaries, he wrote his first novel at the age of six. Educated by Jesuits, he drew inspiration for his writing from the works of Jules Verne and Edgar Allen Poe. His most popular work is arguably the most famous example of the mystery genre and has inspired many film adaptations, including a recent version starring Robert Downey Junior. He is well known for killing his most notable protagonist though his readers refused to accept this. For ten points name this man, author of A Study in Scarlet and creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Answer: Sir Arthur CONAN DOYLE
Q6. He was born in England in 1840, the first of four children. His mother’s stories were the inspiration for some of his later poetry, and his father was a builder and stonemason. His first published story, “How I Built Myself a House”, appeared in Chamber’s Journal in 1865. He went on to create the characters Jude and Tess, showing himself to be a writer of the naturalism movement. For ten points, name this man, author of Wessex Poems and Other Verses and Far from the Madding Crowd.
Answer: Thomas HARDY
Q7. He served as a part of the Red Cross in World War I, where he fell in love with a tram conductor. During this time he also wrote under the pseudonym ‘Pharos’, publishing many stories in the local newspaper. His work dealt with themes such as mysticism, class struggles, and sexuality, and he famously championed the rights of homosexuals in his essay “What I Believe.” His first critically acclaimed novel, Howard’s End, was wildly popular and was successfully adapted to the screen. For ten points, name this author of The Celestial Omnibus, A Passage to India, and A Room With a View.
Answer: E. M. FORSTER
Q8. He was born in poverty and worked as a clerk in a surgical appliance factory before becoming a teacher. Some of his non-fiction works include Psychoanalysis and the Unconscious and Movements in European History. His first poems were published in the English Review, but his writing career really took off with the publishing of his first novel, The White Peacock. After eloping with a married woman he wrote his novel Sons and Lovers, but his most famous work was banned in both the UK and the US as pornographic. For ten points, name this author of Lady Chatterly’s Lover.
Answer: D. H. LAWRENCE
Q9. He was born to a hosier and haberdasher and was early prone to fantastic visions of God, angels, and deceased people. His artistic talent led to him joining Henry Parr’s drawing school at the age of ten and then an apprenticeship with the engraver James Basire. It was only after his marriage to Catherine Sophia Boucher that he published his poetry in Poetical Sketches. Other works of his include The Book of Thel and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, but perhaps his most widely read poetic work was written as a pair. For ten points name this man, author of Songs of Innocence, “The Lamb,” and “The Tyger.”
Answer: William BLAKE
Q10. His mother died when he was fourteen, and two years later he suffered from the disease keratitis punctata. This made him completely blind for eighteen months, but he was later able to recover use of one of his eyes and by learning Braille and using special glasses he was able to continue his studies. Though he had wanted to be a scientist and a soldier, he was forced to pursue a career in writing due to his near blindness. He published an influential study on the expansion of consciousness through the use of the drug mescaline in his The Doors of Perception and later became addicted to LSD. For ten points, name this man, author of the dystopian novel Brave New World.
Answer: Aldous HUXLEY
Q11. Born on Christmas Day at the British embassy in Paris, this British author was the son of a writer and a lawyer though they both died when he was quite young. As a child he suffered from a stutter and was bullied incessantly. At the age of 16 he traveled to Germany to study at Heidelberg University where he learned philosophy and literature. He was homosexual but also had many affairs with women. His first novel Liza of Lambeth was published while he was studying medicine in London. His lesser known novels include The Magician, The Hero, and Sketches and Impressions of Andalusia. For ten points name this author of The Painted Veil and Of Human Bondage.
Answer: Somerset MAUGHAM
Q12. This poem is widely considered as a forerunner of the Romantic movement in Britain and later versions featured a “gloss.” First published in 1798, this poem is composed of seven parts with a grand total of 626 lines and it features characters such as the Wedding Guest and the Albatross as well as the titular character. It ends with the lines “He went like one that hath been stunned, And is of sense forlorn : A sadder and a wiser man, He rose the morrow morn.” For ten points, name this poem which features the line “Water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Answer: THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
Q13. A Romantic poet of the early nineteenth century, she was born to a Creole family from Jamaica, the eldest of twelve children. She suffered various physical ailments, including a spinal injury and lung disease, but this did not stop her from reading and writing. She published a translation of Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. After publishing her collection Poems, she met her future husband, a fellow poet, with whom she exchanged 574 letters. For ten points, name this author of Sonnets from the Portuguese.
Answer: ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING
Q14. He was born on Halloween in 1795 to a father who was an employee in a livery stable. Though he originally trained to be a doctor and natural historian, he later discovered his poetic talents. After much turmoil in his personal life, he published Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems in 1820. He is eulogized in the poem “Adonais” by Percy Shelley, one of his best friends. For ten points name this man, author of Endymion, “Ode to a Nightingale”, and Ode on a Grecian Urn.
Answer: John KEATS
Q15. He was born with a club foot and grew up to be quite a wild young man, gaining a reputation for racking up debts as well as a multitude of love affairs, some incestuous. His first collection of poetry, The House of Idleness, was not very successful but his The Corsair sold 10,000 copies on the first day of publication. He was so wildly popular that he inspired his own cult of personality and lends his name to a type of literary hero. For ten points name this man, the author of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and Don Juan.
Answer: Lord BYRON
Bonuses
1. For twenty points, name both, the man and woman, of this literary couple.
He was already married to another woman when they first met, but their love overcame that boundary. Her father tried to separate the lovers, but after her lover’s attempted suicide she decided to run away with him to France where they lived for eight years and had a son. Their relationship ended with his drowning, which prompted her to write her novel, The Last Man. For twenty points, name this man and woman, the authors of Prometheus Unbound and Frankenstein, respectively.
Answer: PERCY SHELLEY and MARY SHELLEY
2. For ten points each, name these Jane Austen heroines given a short plot description.
She is the second eldest of five sisters and her mother’s major goal in life was to see all of her daughters married. She is at first scorned by her future lover, Mr. Darcy, but he later changes his mind and falls in love with her. Name this heroine of Pride and Prejudice.
Answer: ELIZABETH BENNET
She is the middle of three sisters, and the daughter of a wealthy baronet who is known to be a profligate. She is most like her mother, a woman who is now long dead. She falls in love at the age of nineteen, but she is advised by Lady Russell to break off the engagement. Eventually, however, the couple reunites and she marries Captain Wentworth. Name this heroine of Persuasion.
Answer: ANNE ELLIOT
3. For ten points each, answer the following about a fantasy novelist.
He was born in Bloemfontaine, South Africa and grew up to be a World War 1 veteran, an Oxford professor, and a philologist, actually creating several of the languages used in his fantasy novels. Name this author of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and the creator of the mystical world of Middle Earth.
Answer: J.R.R. TOLKEIN
Tolkein’s magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings features Frodo’s quest to destroy a particular evil ring. However, many obstacles impede this goal, including a certain creature which has fallen prey to the evils of the ring. Name this creature, best known for his oft-repeated phrase, “My precioussss…”
Answer: GOLLUM / SMEAGOL
4. For ten points each, answer the following about a family of authors.
Their mother and two elder sisters died of cancer and consumption respectively, leaving their father Patrick to take care of them. He made sure that they were educated and they published many poems and novels under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Name these sisters, some of the most widely read Victorian female authors.
Answer: The BRONTË sisters
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne also had a brother who was a poet and painter, though not nearly as famous. He had an affair with an older, married woman and when this affair ended he sank into depression, drinking heavily and possibly turning to drug use. Name this “forgotten” Brontë, author of such poems as “Lydia Gisborne,” “Penmaenmawr,” and “Sir Henry Tunstall.”
Answer: Patrick BRANWELL Brontë
6. For ten points each, answer the following about medieval literature.
This is perhaps one of the most well known examples of a frame story, featuring several pilgrims on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sir Thomas Beckett. The story consists of the major characters swapping tales, including a tale about what women really want. Name this novel, the work of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Answer: THE CANTERBURY TALES
The Canterbury Tales written in this language, common in the 14th century but now a dead language. It was spoken around the same time that the Chancery Standard began to become widespread, aided by the invention of Caxton’s printing press. Name this language.
Answer: MIDDLE ENGLISH
7. For ten points each, answer the following about a novel.
It’s subtitle is “A Parish Boy’s Progress” and it follows the adventures of a young, orphan boy who escapes from the workhouses of England only to meet up with a gang of pickpockets, led by the Jewish criminal, Fagin and the Artful Dodger. Name this novel, the second work of Charles Dickens.
Answer: OLVIER TWIST
In Oliver Twist, Oliver is caught by a wealthy gentleman whose pocket he was told to pick. This man becomes his benefactor and treats him very kindly, eventually, saving Oliver from the wrath of Monks and Fagin. Name this man.
Answer: Mr. BROWNLOW
Give and Take – Pen Names
Her first work, Adam Bede, was dedicated to her husband, George Lewes, however they were never legally wed. She chose to not have children, which was also rare for her time period. She adopted a male pseudonym in order to escape discrimination and today it is by this name that she is better known. Name this female author of The Mill on the Floss, The Lifted Veil, and Middlemarch, whose pen name is George Eliot.
Answer: MARIANNE EVANS
He was born in India and joined the Indian Civil Service at the age of 19. Because of these experiences and other experiences of war, he came to be critical of capitalism, fascism, Stalinism, and imperialism. His works are satires of political systems and generally feature dystopian societies. Name this author of Animal Farm and 1984, whose pen name is George Orwell.
Answer: ERIC ARTHUR BLAIR
He was a mathematician and an Anglican clergyman in addition to being a poet. He is famous for creating new and interesting words in nonsense works such as “The Hunting of the Snark” and “Jabberwocky.” Name this author of Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland, whose pen name is Lewis Carroll.
Answer: CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON
He was born in Cairo, Egypt and studied to be a doctor. However, he eventually gave up his studies in order to become an author. He was later offered a Hollywood contract and thereafter spent several weeks each year in America as a screenwriter. He later served in World War II as part of Information Services, but ended this career when he was stricken with arteriosclerosis. Name this author of The African Queen and Horatio Hornblower, whose pen name is CS Forester.
Answer: CECIL SMITH
Shakespeare
Shakespeare was one of the most prolific and popular playwrights and poets of his time. Name some of his plays given the opening line and some characters.
Perhaps Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedy, this play is based on the feud between two Italian families and ends with a double suicide as well as several other deaths. It includes characters such as Escalus, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Benvolio in addition to the titular characters. Name this play which opens with the line “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”
Answer: ROMEO AND JULIET
It features such characters as Theseus, Hippolyta and Bottom, and it follows the mischief wrecked on Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena by the creature known as Puck. Name this play which opens with the line “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace; four happy days bring in another moon; but, O, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes!”
Answer: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
This play features characters such as the Fool, the Doctor, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, in addition to the titular character, and it details the story of a King who wants to divide his land among his daughters. It ends with the deaths of all three daughters, as well as the death of the titular character. Name this play which opens with the Earl of Kent saying to the Earl of Gloster, “I thought the king had more affected the Duke of Albany than Cornwall.”
Answer: KING LEAR
The main of this play takes place in the Forest of Arden, though it begins in a French Duchy. The main characters include Frederick, Celia, and Orlando as well as the heroine Rosalind. It is the story of Rosalind’s escape from persecution at court. It is one of the few plays that ends happily, with the rightful Duke being restored and the main four couples being happily married in the last scene. Name this play which opens with the line “If I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath’d me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and , as thou say’st, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness.”
Answer: AS YOU LIKE IT
Brit Lit through the Ages
Name these periods of British literature given a brief description and a few works or authors.
Literature and writing became more popular during this time period and its main purpose was to distract people from mundane fears. Works from this period often involve fantasy realms with knights, monsters, and damsels in distress. Some of the important works from this era include the Arthurian Legend and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Name this period.
Answer: The MEDIEVAL period
This period is famous for its focus on Nature and self-reliance rather than reason. It encouraged emotions and imagination and sparked a movement of the same name in the United States. Writers of this period did not strive for perfection like their predecessors, but rather preferred the “glory of the imperfect.” Works from this period include “Lyrical Ballads” by Coleridge and Wordsworth, as well as earlier works like “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” Name this period.
Answer: The ROMANTIC period
This period saw a lot of social and political change brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Literature of the period reflected this turmoil. This period is often split into two parts: early and late. Important early authors include Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Anthony Trollope while late authors include Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Name this period, named for the currently reigning queen.
Answer: The VICTORIAN period
This period, also known as the Restoration, features an emphasis on reason and logic as well as focus on harmony and stability. This period led to a belief in the basic evil of man as well as the belief that the world was fine as it was. Important authors of this period include Alexander Pope, Daniel Defoe, and Jonathan Swift. Name this period.
Answer: The NEOCLASSSICAL period
all of the craziness put aside. Wait. That’s part of me. The insanity. The insight. The perception. It’s the heart of everything.
A month since my last post, a month since I completed one semester of my graduate studies, a month since I arrived in Atlanta, and a month since I’ve found time to sit and write a post.
I’ll be back in Atlanta for the Spring break in March. Can’t wait for that 