Abridged Classics by John Atkinson Quiz

Answer: The Odyssey

"The Odyssey" is a Greek epic poem written by Homer in 800 B.C.E. As you can see from John Atkinson's brief summary, after the Trojan War, it took Odysseus ten years to return home to Ithaca to his wife Penelope. Since he had been presumed dead, Penelope had many suitors - which Odysseus then took care of.

Answer: Wuthering Heights

"Wuthering Heights" was published in 1847 under Emily Bronte's pen name, Ellis Bell. It is the story of the love between Catherine and the tortured Heathcliff, on the moors of England.

Answer: Walden

Trancendentalist Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden" was published in 1854. It is subtitled "Life in the Woods", and describes simple living in a natural setting, over the course of two years, two months and two days, in a cabin near Walden Pond.

Answer: Crime and Punishment

"Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was originally published in 1866, in "The Russian Messenger", in 12 installments. The story tells of Raskolnikov, a poor ex-student who plots to kill a pawnbroker for her money. At first he justifies the killing but he cannot bear the mental anguish which follows.

Answer: Beowulf

"Beowulf" is an old (make that very old) English epic poem which has been forced upon most students of higher learning. It was written somewhere between the 8th century and the 11th century (what a slow writer!) by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon author. So, basically, we don't know who wrote it or when it was written. All we know is Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel's mother, and years later is himself killed in a battle with a dragon.

Answer: Dante's Inferno

Dante Alighieri's 14th century epic poem "Inferno" is the first part of his "Divine Comedy", followed by "Purgitorio" and "Paradiso". The "Inferno", quite properly named, is Dante's journey through Hell, with Virgil as his guide.

Answer: The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel, "The Sun Also Rises", is the story of a bunch of Englishmen and Americans living in Paris after World War I. They decide to travel to watch the bullfights and the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. They love, they drink, they talk, they drink some more...but nothing really seems to change.

Answer: The Grapes of Wrath

The Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was authored by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. It is set in the Depression Era and follows the Joad family from the 'dust bowl' of Oklahoma on their journey to California for a better life...but things don't always go as planned.

Answer: Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes' great picaresque novel was published in 1605. We are told about Senor Alonso Quixano who reads so many novels about chivalry he goes nuts and decides to bring the courtliness back to life. He puts a pot on his head (the golden helmet of Mambrino), takes his trusty sidekick and his broken down horse, attacks his enemies, i.e., windmills, and chooses a farm girl (Aldonza) as his lady love (Dulcinea).

Answer: Moby Dick

What can you say about Herman Melville's 1851 novel, "Moby Dick"? I think John Atkinson's summary of Captain Ahab and his obsession with the 'great white whale' sums it up nicely!