Who wrote the Victorian poem 'Goblin Market'?
Answer
Christina Rossetti
80 Victorian Literature Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Explore Victorian Literature through 80 questions on the writers, novels, poems and characters that shaped nineteenth-century English fiction. This collection ranges from Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy to George Meredith, George Gissing and the Brontë sisters, combining famous works with less familiar literary details.
You might identify the child-thief leader in Oliver Twist, recall the publication year of A Christmas Carol or connect Emily Brontë with the pseudonym Ellis Bell. The questions suit readers who enjoy classic fiction, literature students revising key authors and anyone preparing a pub quiz or book-themed game night. Expect a mixture of accessible recognition questions and more demanding details about plots, settings, publication history and Victorian literary culture.
In George Gissing's 'New Grub Street', what is the name of the struggling novelist?
Answer
Edwin Reardon
What was the title of George Meredith's first published novel?
Answer
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel
What pseudonym did Emily Brontë use for her published works?
Answer
Ellis Bell
Who wrote the children's fantasy novel 'The Princess and the Goblin'?
Answer
George MacDonald
Which author wrote 'The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby'?
Answer
Charles Kingsley
Who wrote the Victorian long poem 'The Ring and the Book'?
Answer
Robert Browning
In 'The Way We Live Now' by Anthony Trollope, what is the name of the financier?
Answer
Augustus Melmotte
What is the name of the villain in the Sherlock Holmes story 'The Final Problem'?
Answer
Professor Moriarty
Which Sherlock Holmes story features a missing racehorse named Silver Blaze?
Answer
Silver Blaze
Who wrote the sensation novel 'Lady Audley's Secret'?
Answer
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
In 'A Tale of Two Cities', what is the name of the French wine shop owner?
Answer
Monsieur Defarge
Which Thomas Hardy novel features the character Gabriel Oak?
Answer
Far From the Madding Crowd
In 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', what is the name of the man who seduces Tess?
Answer
Alec d'Urberville
In 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of the girl who befriends Jane at Lowood?
Answer
Helen Burns
What is the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'?
Answer
Count Dracula
Which Lewis Carroll book is the sequel to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'?
Answer
Through the Looking-Glass
Who wrote the novel 'Vanity Fair'?
Answer
William Makepeace Thackeray
In 'The Lost World' by Arthur Conan Doyle, what is the name of the reporter?
Answer
Edward Malone
In 'The Island of Dr Moreau' by H.G. Wells, what is the name of the shipwreck survivor?
Answer
Edward Prendick
In 'Middlemarch', what is the name of the young doctor?
Answer
Tertius Lydgate
In 'Wuthering Heights', what is the name of the Lintons' home?
Answer
Thrushcross Grange
In 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of the madwoman in the attic?
Answer
Bertha Mason
In 'Treasure Island', what is the name of the one-legged pirate?
Answer
Long John Silver
In the Sherlock Holmes stories, what is the address of Holmes and Watson's flat?
Answer
221B Baker Street
In 'Silas Marner', what is the name of the weaver?
Answer
Silas Marner
Which Thomas Hardy novel is subtitled 'A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented'?
Answer
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
In 'Wuthering Heights', what is the name of Heathcliff's son?
Answer
Linton Heathcliff
Which Brontë sister wrote 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'?
Answer
Anne Brontë
Which Wilkie Collins novel features a stolen yellow diamond?
Answer
The Moonstone
In 'Jane Eyre', what is the name of the cruel headmaster at Lowood School?
Answer
Mr. Brocklehurst
What is the name of Sherlock Holmes's loyal friend and biographer?
Answer
Dr. John Watson
Who translated the 'Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám' into English?
Answer
Edward FitzGerald
In 'The Importance of Being Earnest', what is the name of Lady Bracknell's nephew?
Answer
Algernon Moncrieff
Victorian Literature trivia — quick answers
What are good Victorian Literature trivia questions?
Good questions cover major authors, novels, poems, characters, pseudonyms, publication dates and settings. Examples include identifying the writer of Goblin Market, naming Oliver Twist's gang leader and recalling when A Christmas Carol was first published.
How hard is Victorian Literature trivia?
The difficulty varies. Questions about Dickens, Hardy and the Brontës are approachable for general readers, while details about George Gissing, George Meredith, obscure characters and exact literary history are better suited to experienced readers or specialist quizzes.
Who wrote Goblin Market?
Goblin Market was written by Christina Rossetti and first published in 1862. Its vivid narrative follows sisters Laura and Lizzie as they encounter the tempting goblin merchants. The poem is often discussed for its rich imagery, unusual rhythm and layered interpretations of desire, sisterhood and consumer temptation.
What pseudonym did Emily Brontë use?
Emily Brontë published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. Her novel Wuthering Heights appeared in 1847 alongside works by her sisters Charlotte and Anne, who used the names Currer Bell and Acton Bell. The sisters initially adopted gender-neutral names because women authors faced strong prejudice in the Victorian literary market.
When was A Christmas Carol first published?
Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843, on 19 December. The novella tells how Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed after visits from supernatural figures associated with Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Its success helped establish several enduring traditions of Christmas storytelling and charitable sentiment.