Author Feuds trivia
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Author Feuds Mini Quiz
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Which French philosopher of the Enlightenment feuded bitterly with Jean-Jacques Rousseau over the ideas in his book Emile, reportedly saying it should be burned?
Voltaire's feud with Rousseau intensified after Emile's 1762 publication, as Voltaire, a deist, condemned its critique of organized religion and reportedly urged that the book be burned by the executioner.
Mark Twain famously criticized which British novelist for lacking vitality, once joking he wanted to dig up her bones?
Mark Twain's criticism of Jane Austen stemmed from her precise social observations, which he found dull; in a 1898 letter, he quipped that Pride and Prejudice inspired him to exhume her and strike her with her own shin-bone.
During a public spat in the 1970s literary scene, which novelist called Truman Capote's work a modest talent stretched hideously thin?
Gore Vidal's barb targeted Truman Capote's unfinished novel "Answered Prayers," serialized in Esquire in 1975-76, which scandalized New York's elite by fictionalizing their secrets.
Which prominent 19th-century American poet did Edgar Allan Poe accuse of plagiarism in a heated exchange that highlighted rivalries in Romantic literature?
Edgar Allan Poe accused Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of plagiarism in 1845, claiming his poem "The Psalm of Life" copied a hymn by Rev. Alexander Dalton, sparking a public literary feud.
William Faulkner criticized what The Old Man and the Sea author for refusing to use "ten-dollar words"?
Hemingway famously retorted to Faulkner's criticism by saying, "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
Truman Capote famously allowed jealousy to ruin his lifelong friendship with what To Kill a Mockingbird author?
Capote and Lee were childhood neighbors and friends (she was the inspiration for Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird), but their drifting apart was cemented by Capote's lack of support for her success and his own decline.
After overstaying his welcome at Charles Dickens' home, what The Little Mermaid author saw their friendship end?
Andersen stayed with Dickens for five weeks instead of the planned two, leading Dickens to famously write on a mirror in the guest room: "Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks—which seemed to the family AGES!"
Mark Twain claimed he wanted to dig up and beat what Pride and Prejudice author with her own shinbone?
Mark Twain had a visceral dislike for Jane Austen's work, once stating, "Every time I read 'Pride and Prejudice' I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."
Mary McCarthy was sued for saying "every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the'" about whom?
The feud culminated in a $2.25 million defamation lawsuit by Hellman against McCarthy, which only ended with Hellman's death in 1984.