Oddities of the Literary World

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

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'? Oscar Wilde George Bernard Shaw Mark Twain Ernest Hemingway

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. Sei Shonagon Yukio Hatori Princess Shotoku Murasaki Shikebu

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? Robert Louis Stevenson Arthur Conan Doyle Daniel Dafoe James Fenimore Cooper

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? François Villon Michel de Montaigne Arthur Rimbaud Francois De La Rochefoucauld

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). Philip Roth Norman Mailer Saul Bellow John Updike

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'? Giovanni Boccaccio Pietro Aretino Baldassare Castiglione Paolo Uccelli

7. 'Excuse my dust' was the requested epitaph of which of the following irreverent authors? Dorothy Parker Jonathan Swift Mark Twain H. L. Mencken

8. What pseudonym did Jane Austen use on the title pages of all the novels she published during her lifetime? John Ashton None Samuel Johnson Jane Austen

9. Which of these great authors received the scandalous sum of 10 pounds for his greatest work of literature, 'Paradise Lost'? Alexander Pope John Milton James Hilton John Bunyan

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? False mustache and bloomers White belt and gloves Cowboy boots and hat Stockings and high heels