Tuesday Trivia

1. What famous writer claimed she did most of the plotting for her books while sitting in a bathtub munching on apples?
2. What American novelist was challenged to a duel and beaten by a woman he later married?
3. Who was the inspiration for the popular sixteenth-century nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet?
4. What future playwright was expelled from Princeton University by Woodrow Wilson when the American president-to-be was president of the university?
5. What famous author wrote under the pen names Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, Sergeant Fathom, and W. Apaminondas Adrastus Blab before switching to the name with which he gained fame?

In what writer's work did author Cicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews find her famous pseudonym--Rebecca West?

Henrik Ibsen's. Rebecca West is the name of the strong-willed heroine in his 1866 play, Rosmersholm.

What American writer, while a war correspondent, is credited with capturing a town single-handedly during the Spanish-American War?

Stephen Crane. The town was Juana Diaz in Puerto Rico; the resistance was nonexistent.

How many Shakespearean plays include mention of America?

The Comedy of Errors (Act III, Scene ii).

Which award-winning Jerzy Kosinski novel was repeatedly rejected by publishers when it was resubmitted under a different title 9 years after its original publication?

In 1977, as an experiment, Chuck Ross typed up a fresh manuscript copy of Jerzy Kosinski's novel Steps, which had won the National Book Award in 1969 for best work of fiction, changed the title, and submitted the work under his by-line to 14 publishers. All of them rejected the novel, including Random House, the book's original publisher.

In the English language, what are the days of the week named after?

In English, the days of the week are named after the Saxon gods (except for Saturday, which is named after the Roman god of agriculture). Sunday is named after the sun, Monday after the moon, Tuesday after Tiw, Wednesday after Woden, Thursday after Thor, Friday after Frige, and Saturday after Saturn.