Literary Gentlemen's Personal Ads Quiz

Answer: Holden Caulfield

Holden Caulfield is the highly intriguing and unforgettable protagonist from J.D. Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye." Holden is a judgmental, confused adolescent who has just been kicked out of prep school. The novel is told through his narration, as he tells us all about the events that unfold in the week or so after he leaves Pencey. I always wanted to meet Holden, just to see what he would say about me!

Answer: Winston Smith

Winston Smith is the protagonist from George Orwell's chilling novel "1984," which explores the terrifying possibilities that exist within a totalitarian society. Winston is constantly paranoid about the government under which he lives, but he is also resolute in his refusal to adhere to the rules and believe whatever he is told. He is an unlikely hero, but can he outsmart Big Brother?

Answer: Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray is the main character in Oscar Wilde's famous novel about beauty and corruption, "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Dorian is quickly and easily influenced by his new friend Lord Henry, and soon delves into a world of immorality and fraud. Obsessed with appearances, he vows that he would give his soul in exchange for eternal beauty, as captured in the portrait painted of him by his friend Basil.

It soon becomes a tale of "be careful what you wish for."

Answer: Sir John Falstaff

John Falstaff is one of Shakespeare's most memorable characters, known for his loud and obnoxious, but also likeable, personality. He appears in "Henry IV" Parts 1 and 2, as well as "The Merry Wives of Windsor," where Shakespeare brought him back due to popular demand.

In all three plays he likes drinking, carousing, and manipulating others, all in the name of fun or self-advancement. However, many Falstaff fans are left disappointed with his fate in "Merry Wives," as he is left humiliated and penniless.

Answer: Titus Andronicus

Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" tells the tale of a staunchly proud and traditional Roman general who essentially falls apart once his country begins to weaken. Titus can't stand the thought of Rome deteriorating in any way, so he seeks revenge against those who are breaking tradition, and against those who are harming his family. Towards the end of the play, it is difficult to discern whether he has gone mad, for he kills his own daughter (who has been raped and mutilated), kills the Empress' two sons, bakes them into a pie and feeds them to their mother, and then kills the Empress herself.

Then he is killed as well. An extraordinarily gruesome play, many people did not even believe that it was Shakespeare who had written it.

Answer: Jay Gatsby

Jay 'The Great' Gatsby is an extremely well-to-do man, known by everyone - if only by reputation - who is lacking the most important thing in life: love. He surrounds himself with people, but he has very few true friends, and no one person to share his life with.

He loves Daisy Buchanan, but she is married, and can never give him what he wants: unconditional and eternal love. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is a heartbreaking account of the seedy underbelly of 1920s America, and the ashes and fraud that exist behind the champagne and glitter of the supposed American Dream.

Answer: Don Quixote

Don Quixote is the memorable hero from Miguel de Cervantes novel of the same name. Quixote is a man who many believe to be insane, as he leaves his home and town with the aim of becoming a "knight errant," and helping all those in need in the name of his lady: Dulcinea del Toboso, who is really just a peasant woman whom he doesn't even know.

He brings along his trusty sidekick - Sancho Panza - who follows him faithfully, abandoning his own family in the hopes of gaining great fortune, and maybe even fame. Cervantes' novel is considered to be one of the greatest ever written, and Don Quixote is certainly one of the most elaborate and entertaining characters ever produced in the literary world.

Answer: Absolon

Absolon is the strange parish clerk from "The Miller's Tale," which is part of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales." Absolon attempts to adopt courtly manners, and he often performs love songs for Alisoun outside her bedroom window, despite the fact that he works for the church.

He is infatuated with Alisoun, who is married to John, but attracted to Nicholas, the student who rents a room from her and her husband. "The Miller's Tale" is a combination of two famous fabliaux (bawdy and satirical tales): "The Flood" and "Misplaced Kiss." In the end, Absolon is humiliated by Alisoun and Nicholas' practical jokes, but gets his revenge by literally burning Nicholas' bum!

Answer: Philip Pirrip

Philip Pirrip, or "Pip," is the young hero from Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." As narrator, an older Pip recounts the story of his younger self, providing the reader with two perspectives: his original, youthful point of view, retrospectively infused with the age and maturity that he now possesses.

He tells us of his humble beginnings, and of his journey to become a "gentleman," with the money bestowed upon him by an unknown benefactor. Though he constantly strives to be accepted by the upper classes, as evidenced by his undying devotion towards Estella, Pip soon learns that social class is not everything, and that things aren't always as they seem.

Answer: Huckleberry Finn

Huck Finn is the tough and lovable character created by Mark Twain and featured in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Huck is the son of an alcoholic father, and is often left to fend for himself. While some try to reform and educate him, Huck usually resists and continues living his independent life. But, he is nevertheless an extremely smart and caring boy, who proves a good friend to Tom and others in the community. Huck would definitely need a girl who doesn't mind sleeping outside or getting dirty! :)