Famous Literary Characters

Name these well-known literary characters, both modern and classic.

Quiz by

Rate:

Featured Quiz

Last updated: January 1, 2020

You have not attempted this quiz yet.

More quiz info >>

First submitted	June 2, 2012
Times taken	32,533
Average score	58.3%
Rating	4.40

Quiz and answer stats >>

Friends stats >>

4:00

Enter character here:

/ 24 guessed

The quiz is paused. You have remaining.

Scoring
You scored / = %

    This beats or equals
    % of test takers
    also scored 100%
    
The average score is 

      Your high score is
      
    
Your fastest time is 
more stats >>
friends stats >>

Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...

Hint	Answer
Obsessed with the white whale	Captain Ahab
Peeta's partner in the Hunger Games	Katniss Everdeen
Miserly curmudgeon visited by 4 spirits	Ebenezer Scrooge
Agent in her majesty's secret service	James Bond
Adventurous friend of Huck Finn	Tom Sawyer
Unrequited love for Daisy Buchanan	Jay Gatsby
Dr. Henry Jekyll's nocturnal alter ego	Mr. Edward Hyde
Wizard and advisor to Frodo Baggins	Gandalf
Observant & deductive British detective	Sherlock Holmes
Harry Potter's powerful nemesis	Lord Voldemort
Man with a most unusual portrait	Dorian Gray
Meets, marries, and becomes a vampire	Bella Swan

Hint	Answer
The real lion king of Narnia	Aslan
The antebellum belle of Tara	Scarlett O'Hara
Mercutio's love-lorn best friend	Romeo
He hunted for the Red October	Jack Ryan
He embarked on an odyssey	Ulysses
The Catcher in the Rye	Holden Caulfield
He had a deep crush on Lolita	Humbert Humbert
Transylvanian vampire	Dracula
Finder of codes in Da Vinci's art	Robert Langdon
Man of La Mancha	Don Quixote
Marooned on a deserted island	Robinson Crusoe
Eventually flew over the cuckoo's nest	R.P. McMurphy

Suggested Quizzes See all >>

Roald Dahl Books

Countries by Number of Books Published

Australia Map Quiz

Members of the Fellowship of the Ring

Most Popular Board Games Quiz

Pixar Characters by Picture

Sports That Don't Use a Ball

59 Comments

Level 67

Jun 23, 2012

OMG Missed Sherlock Holmes!! :P

Level 73

Jun 23, 2012

Too pop culture oriented. Great for those who think Harry Potter and Hunger Games are "literature."

+17

Level 66

Jun 23, 2012

Umm, they are dude. Just because they're not part of the collegiate canon doesn't mean they're not literature.

Level 65

Jun 26, 2012

I second that durstand. My worth and intelligence are not defined by my selection of books. Some of us have other ways of obtaining knowledge.

Level 86

Apr 22, 2020

@TheBigCheesy

On the other hand, we have definition 1a from Merriam-Webster: "writings in prose or verse, especially writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest."

Level 83

Nov 25, 2023

Also, what's considered 'canon' or 'classic' can be extremely problematic and is by no means objective

Level 64

Aug 13, 2024

thus we should attempt no judgements on worth or quality?

Level 78

Jun 25, 2012

No complaints regarding Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming or Dan Brown?

Level 60

Jun 10, 2015

There are no complaints about Ian Fleming because all his Bond novels are literature

Level 61

Jan 1, 2013

I'm with you rgc, it's sad what passes for literature anymore.

Level 45

Jul 21, 2014

Still a better love story than Twilight.

Level 66

Jan 17, 2016

Harry Potter is children's literature, no question. The Hunger Games is teen fiction. They aren't in the same class.

Level 74

Jun 1, 2017

I don't feel that the deathly hallows counts as children's literature. The harry potter books get much more mature as you read through them, which creates a feeling of actually growing up with harry and his friends, especially if, like me, you started reading them at around the same age harry is when he starts at Hogwarts. By the time the story is finished the books certainly don't read like children's literature.

Level 46

Jun 23, 2012

What about 007 for James Bond?

Level 23

Jun 23, 2012

I second that.

Level 32

Mar 25, 2014

Third

Level 74

Jul 1, 2014

Fourth.

Level ∞

Feb 6, 2015

Okay

Level 25

Jun 29, 2012

Add alternative spellings for Robinson Cruseo? Spent ages trying to spell the stupid name

Level 61

Jan 1, 2013

Yeah what an idiot Daniel Defoe was spelling his name like that. He should have made it easier for you.

Level 24

Jul 9, 2013

@clr231 you're a lad

Level 45

Jul 21, 2014

That's because it's Crusoe.

Level 78

Aug 19, 2013

Two problems with your quiz 1. It didn't accept "Sean Connery" for Red October. and 2. It didn't accept "Sean Connery" for the agent in her majesty's secret service. Please fix...

Level 81

Aug 21, 2013

Uhhhh.....Sean Connery is not a literary character....problem solved!

Level 76

Mar 7, 2015

It wasn't even Connery who hunted for the Red October, he played Marco Ramius, the captain of Red October. It was one of the Baldwins that was the hunter.

Level 42

Mar 6, 2019

😂😂😂

Level 74

Jul 1, 2014

Less than a third got Scarlett O'Hara? Bless my soul, I think I'm getting the vapors!

Level 91

Mar 7, 2015

I kept thinking Scarlett O'Hara and I should have tried it. Yet I was sure that was the actress who was in a bunch of John Wayne movies... I'm going to watch "The Quiet Man" now

Level 74

Mar 7, 2015

You're thinking Maureen O'Hara. Move over, I'm going to watch The Quiet Man with you.

Level 44

Oct 31, 2014

Sad that so few got Randall Patrick Mc Murphy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the best books (and movies) ever! Give it a try if you've never read it (or seen it).

Level 76

Mar 7, 2015

Have seen. Several times. Great movie. Can't remember name. Same problem with that Da Vinci dude (not as great a movie though). Also forgot the catcher in the rye, but it really is YEARS since I read that one and never in English.

Level 74

Mar 7, 2015

I had the same problem. For Hunt for Red October I tried Jack, but couldn't get the last name. For Da Vinci code I knew Robert but no Langdon. Strangely enough I only knew Bella but that was enough to get me the answer. Seems a bit inconsistent.

Level 36

Mar 8, 2015

One of the worst books I ever tried to read in my life--One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Cringe. Finally gave up. It was such male-centric garbage. At least the Twilight books, Harry Potter, and Clancy books are fun to read. They aren't literature, but they ARE great entertainment. Most literature is also great entertainment--you put down a book by Dickens, Twain or Steinbeck and you can sit mesmerized by how they use language and convey concepts. There ought to be small "l" literature, to designate written entertainment, and capital "L" Literature for that which qualifies. Someday men will start reading female authors with an open fair mind-Rowling was a great start. I rarely have known any man who reads female authors, yet women read any author without prejudice as to gender! Why is that? Women enjoy Clancey and greats, male or female, but how many men even read Jane Austen or a Bronte unless mandatory for a class? And for entertainment? Ever? Count and compare, guys.

Level 81

Mar 9, 2015

Are you seriously suggesting that people choose books to read based on the author's gender? That's a new concept to me. Are you being sensitive, or are there studies that corroborate your theory?

Level 66

Jun 1, 2017

Certainly no male has ever read Mary Shelley, Laura Ingalls Wilder, S.E. Hinton, Harper Lee, Suzanne Collins, Ursula K. LeGuin, Alice Walker, Gillian Flynn, or Maya Angelou.

Level 80

Jul 29, 2023

Life is easy with eyes closed.

Level 67

Dec 16, 2021

I was so mad I forgot his name, it is one of my top 5 favorite books!

Level 62

Mar 7, 2015

Scrooge was visited by four spirits, not three (Past, Present and Future + Jacob Marley). As well, the Aslan clue could be reworked - "untamed" Lion of Narnia might be better as I've never heard him referred to as a "real king".

Level 83

Dec 5, 2015

Have you actually read the Chronicles of Narnia? He is referred to several times as the one true king.

Level 51

Mar 7, 2015

But was it McMurphy who flew over the cuckoo's nest? Wasn't it Chief?

Level 80

Jul 29, 2023

Completely agree with this. The title comes from a nursery rhyme that the Chief heard from his grandmother and has nothing to do with RPM. The Chief ends up smashing the window and escaping at the end, but RPM is in a vegetative state, having sacrificed his freedom. Should be fixed.

Level 51

Mar 7, 2015

All this talk about what is literature and what isn't reminds me of my dad saying the Beatles wasn't proper music.

Level 36

Mar 8, 2015

Just wondering why "He Who Shall Not Be Named" and "The Dark Lord" don't work for Voldemort, since first names work for most of them...."Scarlet?" Will Scarlet? "Dorian?" "Bella?" "Holden?" Or last names that could be something else, like "Ryan?" As for the pop culture complaint, I liked that you included it--when reading is more accessible, more people try it and then continue, willing to progressively try more difficult things. The more who read Twilight, and maybe find it too light, or who improve their reading skills or just confidence, go on to read the series, then another, then perhaps Margaret Atwood or Ann Rice, then the more who will read serious literature. Bridget Jones' Diary brought more women to actually read Jane Austen, as did the TV and movie versions of Austen books. They become more accessible, less daunting. And books in general get a better reputation with some. I got a friend to read The DaVinci Code who had never read a book in her adult life.

Level 63

Mar 17, 2015

I'd really like to know why Margaret Atwood isn't considered serious literature...?

Level 71

Mar 8, 2015

I'm really disappointed of myself for only having this to comment... But her full name is Isabella Swan

Level 93

Mar 9, 2015

Curious as to why the displayed answer is Ulysses instead of Odysseus. @CBTemple, did you enjoy reading Joyce more than Homer?

Level 83

Jun 10, 2015

Presumably "Odysseus" is too similar an answer to a question referring to the "Odyssey".

Level 21

Mar 10, 2015

Should include "he who must not be named" for Harry Potter!!!

Level 39

Mar 11, 2015

How many people like me missed Dracula because they said County Dracula? Or couldn't spell Don Quixotte? or Don Quioxtte? Or Don Q????

Level 31

Jan 12, 2016

I enjoyed this one a lot, very few quizzes about books on this site. If people are interested then try by Literature by Opening Sentence quiz http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/171654/literature-by-opening-sentence

Level 58

Dec 17, 2016

Rats. I miss more questions because I've never seen a Twilight or Hunger Games movie.

Level 80

Feb 24, 2017

Can you accept Tom Riddle?

Level 82

Oct 18, 2018

Just put the answer we all know. If you know Tom Riddle, you know the answer that is required. There are separate Potter quizzes for experts like yourself.

Level 64

Apr 26, 2018

Take your literature knowledge, and see if you an ace the Five Most Literate Countries by Continent Quiz

Level 61

Jul 30, 2019

I tried johnny english for her majesty’s secret service... The movie is still in my head

Level 93

Jul 23, 2020

After the long run of Clancy novels and them being made into movies, I'm shocked that Jack Ryan is 2nd to last in the poll. Must be a generational thing.

Level 59

Oct 8, 2020

Well, long run of movies, but exept for two, each of them had different actor portraying Jack and none of them did particulary great at the box office. Even the Red October, probably the most well known, is more known as "that movie with the submarine" rather than a Clancy's movie.

Level 80

Feb 26, 2021

15/24, got all in the first column but the 'man with a most unusual portrait'.

Level 63

Nov 5, 2022

I'd reword the hint to use a different word than "marooned" as the character was not.

Countries of the World Quiz

US States Quiz

United States Map Quiz

Country Flags Quiz #1

NBA Teams Quiz

Random Capital to Country

Europe Map Quiz

US States by Borders in 30 Seconds

Africa Map Quiz

Top World Languages

Countries that Start with E

Countries that Start with M

Champions League Winners

Island Countries Quiz

NBA MVPs Quiz

Save Your Progress