In Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita,' what is the name of the narrator whose polished, persuasive prose led many early reviewers to mistake his charm for sincerity?

Literature

Which Vladimir Nabokov novel was turned down by four publishers who feared obscenity charges before it was finally accepted?

Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" was rejected by four publishers before one finally accepted it, fearing obscenity charges that never materialized.

Literature

Which author deliberately built deceptive charm into a 1955 novel's narrator, a trick many early critics missed by taking his account at face value?

Nabokov intended readers to distrust Humbert Humbert in 'Lolita,' but many early reviewers believed his charm and took his narrative at face value, missing the unreliability entirely.

Literature

Which poet became the leading champion of the Imagist movement despite writing lush, emotional verses that broke the movement's own rules?

Imagist poets demanded one image per poem with no explanation, yet Amy Lowell—the movement's champion—wrote flowery, emotional verses violating her own manifesto.

Literature

Which 18th-century Swiss scientist-poet wrote 'Die Alpen,' a poem credited with making mountain landscapes fashionable and helping spark the Romantic movement?

The Romantic movement began partly because a Swiss scientist proved mountains weren't ugly—Albrecht von Haller's poetry made Alpine peaks fashionable to celebrate.

Literature

Who won the Booker Prize for 'Midnight's Children' in 1981?

Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was later named the Booker of Bookers as the greatest Booker winner in its first 25 years.

Literature

What is the primary setting of Jane Austen's 'Emma'?

Jane Austen described Emma as 'a heroine whom no one but myself will much like,' yet today Emma is widely considered one of literature's finest comedies of manners.