Tennis in texts...

Wimbledon may have come to an end, but the sport of strawberries and cream remains all year round in literature. Indeed, from Betjemin poetry, to Shakespeare's histories, racquets pervade countless pages. Here is a quiz about tennis in texts.

Libraries in literature...

Some are tucked away in the cobbled streets of villages, others stand as magnificent structures in grand public squares, and some even take to the road, traversing the English countryside. Libraries exist in every community, but they also exist in many of the fictional works they stock. Here is a quiz on their place in literature

Cold in literature...

The last few days have seen the country buried in a thick layer of snow, and reach temperatures as low as -15 degrees. Almost as widespread as the snow, is authors' use of pathetic fallacy, a term coined by Victorian critic John Ruskin. Here is a quiz on the cold in literature.

Literary Weddings...

Prince William has today announced he will marry long term girlfriend Kate Middleton in the spring or summer of next year. Obviously the country is hoping that the marriage will be a good one, yet couples in literature have not always enjoyed a happy ending. Here is a quiz about the highs and lows of literary weddings

Sedition in literature...

This weekend has seen people all over the country setting off fireworks to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Inspired by Guy Fawkes and other characters throughout history, many writers have sought to capture some of the mystic and adventure surrounding treacherous dealings. Here is a quiz on sedition in literature

The queen of crime...

Hercule Poirot and Miss, Marple are almost ingrained into the British culture, as is their creator Agatha Christie. Yet, like her writings, much of Christie's life still remains a mystery. Following her birthday last week, here is a quiz on the 'queen of crime'.

Weird words...

From Lewis Caroll's 'Jabberwocky' to Edward Lear's 'The Owl and the Pussycat', nonsense writing has been an integral, and slightly more light-hearted, part of literature. Thus begs the question, what is the nation's fascination with lexical abnormalties? Here is a quiz on some favourite weird words.

Mockingbird at 50...

This month marks the 50 years since the publication of Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. To mark the auspicious anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, here is a quiz about the famous work.

The Bastille in literature...

The storming of a Parisian jail in 1789, was one of the symbols of the French Revolution. Today, Bastille Day is celebrated across France to commerate the people's triumph. The influence of France on British literature, added of course, to their own fine works, ensures the fortification is a common motif, and here is a quiz on the Bastille in literature.

The name's Bond, Jane Bond...

When spies are on their missions, nothing seems more dangerous, more glamorous - yet in the cold light of day, when all has been revealed, they almost look comical. So it was for the alleged group of Russian spies recently arrested in America, who leave tales of false identities, slightly feeble passwords and secret meetings, creating intrigue similar to that seen in the height of the Cold War. One such spy is a woman, and although some might consider it an unusual profession for a female, it appears as a recurring motif in many modern books. Here is a quiz on women spies in literature.

Literary bookshops...

They're scarcely known, yet invaluable to those who love them. Tucked away in the corner of every good high street is that rare breed - the independent bookseller - who is able both to delight and intrigue, enchant and enrich. To celebrate independent bookseller week, here is a quiz about bookshops in literature.

Austerity in literature...

Hard times. Not in Dickensian London however, but in 2010's economic climate. With the new emergency budget set to be announced in nine days, chancellor George Osborne has already ushered in the 'age of austerity', outlining £6bn worth of spending cuts in a desperate bid to cut the deficit. Such austerity is also found in the world of literature, as discovered in this quiz.

Literary siblings...

The Labour leadership contest has become a family affair. At the forefront of a field including names such as Diane Abbot, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham, are brothers Ed and David Milliband, the latter the former foreign secretary in Gordon Brown's cabinet. With the result not to be resolved until the 25th of September, there remains plenty of time for the fight to become ugly, and indeed reports have circled that the younger Ed has already called brother David a 'robotic android'. Sibling rivalries exist in all walks of life, and the world of literature is no different. Here is a quiz about literary siblings.

Bad days in literature...

The elections results have put smiles on some faces, but as polticians lose seats by the bucketload, many are being replaced by grimaces. Yet it's not only the country's leaders who have found themselves in turmoil. Literature is filled with characters who face difficulties, be it money, love or unforseen circumstances. Here is a quiz on some such fictional events.

Elections in literature...

The leadership television debates may be over, but the real fight is only just beginning. Brown, Clegg, Cameron - each is gunning for the popular vote.Yet these are not the political figures to grace the public eye. Elections have featured in literature for centuries, appearing particularly frequently in the Victorian era, at a time when the widening of the voting franchise was an emotive and contemporary issue. Here is a quiz on elections in literature

Mark Twain hits a century...

This week marks a century since American writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by pen name Mark Twain, died. Author of such novels as 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', and 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', Twain was called 'the father of American literature' by William Faulkner. Here is a quiz about him. 

Iceland's volcano part of literary phenomenon...

The Easter holidays may have finished, but people are still sitting stranded all over the world, as volcano ash from Iceland wreaks havoc with British airspace. The dramatic effects of these natural phenomena have naturally leant themselves to works of both fact and fiction, and so here is a quiz about volcanoes in literature.

One liners in literature...

'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife'. So begins Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. 'Call me Ishmael'. Another famous opening, yet this time Melville's 'Moby Dick'. A first line can define a book before its even started, it can make you want to carry on reading or put the book back on the shelf. Yet surely they are only truly great if you can remember the book from which they came, and so here is a quiz to test your knowledge.

Spring is here...

Autumn, Winter, Summer. All seasons have been represented in literature, but perhaps none more so than Spring. The birth of nature has inspired numerous writers throughout the centuries, arguably feauring most prevalently in poetry, especially that of the Romantics. Here is a quiz about Spring in literature.

Lenten literature...

It may have only been eleven days, but I'm sure there are many already guiltily reaching for the biscuit tin and raiding the cupboards. Self-imposed rationing is a painful thing, both for those doing it and also for their friends, whose duty it is to listen to all the subsequent complaining, albeit whilst tucking in themselves. It's Lent again, and a small ounce of discipline is all that stands in the way of losing a few pounds, but for many characters in literature the lack of food is not through choice. From Dickens to Tolkein, this latest Guardian quiz examines the various degrees of literary starvation.