Is this the London Times’ Literary Quiz? I tried it a few years back. Tough stuff. Nothing like a quiz you’d find in a US newspaper, where a literary quiz would be, “Name Batman’s sidekick. Hint: He’s named after a bird”)
The sherry and whiskey one brings to mind “Right Ho, Jeeves,” in which Bertie had to deliver a speech at Market Snodsbury Grammar School. He pushes the job off onto Gussie Fink-Nottle, who was scared spitless of the job. Bertie plies him with alcohol to give him Dutch courage, only to discover that Gussie – who had never drunk so much as strong cider before – had topped himself off beforehand.
I must stress that whiskey was involved, but I can’t remember if sherry was. The relevent chapter was near the end of the book, but I’d have to go home and check first.
If the Jeeves thing for #4 doesn’t pan out, I have a vague idea it might be “Lucky Jim” (unfortunately, it’s been so long I can’t remember the details).
BTW, is a copy of the quiz available online? I’m rather curious about the other 39 questions …
These questions are from The Sunday Times/Faber Literary Quiz, published in the edition of 26 August.
Despite the fact that giving an online location for the competition would disadvantage yours truly, I have searched the issue for the questions but I am unable to find them!
The website for The Sunday Times is:
Click on Back Issues and take it from there.
I really appreciate the contributions to this thread so far. Many thanks to everyone who has tried to find an answer.
Actually, the protagonist of Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City refers constantly to “Bolivian Marching Powder”, and this novel predates American Psycho by several years. I’m afraid it didn’t make enough of an impression on me to recall whether he’s named in the novel or not.
#5 is Bright Lights, Big City. Absolutely, positively. I can’t think of his name. Michael J. Fox played him in the awful film version. His buddy was Tad Allagash.
Well, Lamar Mundane, I see a problem here, as I own a copy of American Psycho, and I re-read a part of this book until I find a reference to Bolivian marching powder, and I find this reference quite early on.
The question in the OP is naturally copied verbatim, and I have one slight niggle, which is Patrick Bateman is more anti-hero than hero in American Psycho.
What do other Dopers think of this matter, if they think about it at all?
Just pulled up Amazon, and there is no “A”. Just “True History of…” - if the contest is a stickler.
Well, well, well. How many posts and this is the first time little old me got to add anything in one of these trivia quiz type tingies. I guess that entitles me to walk around feeling all self satisfied for the rest of the day.
Any suggestions? Must I don the old smoking jacket and light a thin cigar? Are martinis or cognac more appropriate?
I didn’t realize that phrase was used in American Psycho as well. That is strange that Ellis would copy that, it wasn’t exactly a common term for cocaine back then. Anyway, to further analyze the question, the character (unnamed in the novel) is the hero, it does take place entirely in Manhattan, but if I remember correctly, he does “turn up his nose” at the end. Don’t know if that helps at all. I would go with the earlier reference, so I say Bright Lights, Big City.
Bright Lights appears to have coined the phrase, and the main character of that book is much more a hero than the character in American Psycho. OTOH, I don’t remember either well enough to say if noses were turned up.
If I win, the cut is I post the list of books I win here, and deliver weekly instalments of each book on this forum.
Or, if any Doper visits my home area, they get to choose a book, in addition to much hospitality, unless all 17,000 members arrive at once, when I disappear and deny I am ever Nostradamus.
As a result of the contributions made to this thread, my answers are as follows:
Elfride, in A Pair Of Blue Eyes.
True History Of the Kelly Gang.
Jane Eyre
Jim Dixon, on Merrie England.
See below.
A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters.
For question 5, I have reread American Psycho and I have located a copy of Bright Lights, Big City.
I am reading the latter at the moment, and references to ‘Bolivian marching powder’ are everyhere in the first chapter. I incline towards the Jay McInerney book at the moment but the answer will be a judgement call based upon the exact wording of the question.
I didn’t mention the picture questions which must also be answered.
There is a photograph of a young Stephen Fry (I’ve found the photograph in a book so I’m certain it is him), and the question is this:
Wilde at heart: this lad became a multi-talented entertainer. But what exactly is his line?
I don’t like this question. The only answer which makes any sense at all is Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the early UK series of which featured Stephen Fry.
Any more ideas on this?
For those who are interested in literary matters, I will post the full quiz in this forum on 6/7 October.