Which author wrote the 1932 novel 'Brave New World,' which imagined a future society pacified through pleasure rather than fear?

Literature

In Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World,' what is the name of the euphoria-producing drug distributed to keep citizens docile?

Aldous Huxley predicted in Brave New World that people would be controlled not by force but pleasure and pharmaceutical distraction—now studied by neuroscientists.

Literature

Who wrote 'The Handmaid's Tale'?

'The Handmaid's Tale' won the Booker Prize and has been adapted into acclaimed television and theatrical productions.

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

Why did J.K. Rowling's publisher suggest she use initials instead of her full first name on the Harry Potter books?

J.K. Rowling chose 'Joanne Rowling' over her real name Joanne Murray because her publisher feared boys wouldn't read books by women.

Literature

In Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations,' what is the name of the wealthy recluse who stops all the clocks and wears a decaying wedding dress?

Dickens may have based Miss Havisham on Eliza Emily Donnithorne, an Australian woman reportedly jilted on her wedding day in 1856 who allegedly left the wedding feast rotting on the table for decades.

Literature

Which bestselling romance author uses the pseudonym J.D. Robb for her crime fiction so retailers shelve the books separately?

Nora Roberts writes romance under the pen name J.D. Robb, keeping the identities separate so bookstores stock them in different sections.