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Post by Libitina on Jun 4, 2005 9:43:14 GMT -5
We all know about the Sunny and Claus von Bulow case, and its connections to both Newport, Rhode Island and the Baudelaires. I realized today that there is a much bigger connection between the books and Newport. I have visited most of Newport's famous mansions. They are all quite old, and have furnishings that remind me of Snicket's books. The connection is much stronger than that, however. 1. Cornelius Vanderbilt II, owner of The Breakers, also owned a smaller house, which was destroyed by fire. The Breakers, however, is right on the water, just like Aunt Josephine's house. Also related to Aunt Josephine's house is the Cliff Walk, which is located right next to the water. 2. There is a smaller mansion in Newport called Green Animals. The house itself isn't a green mansion, but there is a very large garden with hedges cut to look like animals. 3. At one of the mansions, Astors Beechwood, members of a theater company give the tour. 4. Cheteau sur Mer was the location of many social events, including a famous ball. 5. The owner of Rough Point is a woman named Doris Duke. 6. The stories of the families that owned the houses remind me greatly of Snicket, as does the overall feeling of the Newport situation. I apologize if this has been brought up before; I did a search, and nothing came up for it. If you would like more information about the mansions, click here: www.marshallslocuminn.com/mansions.htmI probably didn't include everything, but it is at least a basis of information.
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Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
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Post by Antenora on Jun 4, 2005 9:49:23 GMT -5
I don't think this has been mentioned before; it's interesting. This Chepsgow photo reminds me of the glimpse of the Baudelaire mansion we get in the movie: I once heard the design of the movie sets described as having elements of "New England gothic" style, so perhaps mansions like these inspired the set design.
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Post by SF on Jun 10, 2005 12:22:29 GMT -5
Thats an interesting theory... my extended family lives just a town over from newport.... Creepy! You should check if it has different districts... like in ASoUE
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Post by Libitina on Jun 12, 2005 19:59:59 GMT -5
I am probably going to Newport sometime after school gets out (my family and I usually go a few times for day trips over the summer). I will be sure to look for districts, and take notes on anything that seems strange.
Also, I realized that I forgot to mention that Newport is surrounded by water, and one of the popular places in Newport is the Cliff Walk, which overlooks the water. This reminds me of the cliff that Aunt Josephine's house stood on.
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Post by SF on Jun 12, 2005 20:59:13 GMT -5
nice, be sure to keep us updated!
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Post by Hooky on Jul 5, 2005 12:46:01 GMT -5
We all know about the Sunny and Claus von Bulow case, and its connections to both Newport, Rhode Island and the Baudelaires. Klaus and Sunny von Bulow case? What are you talking about?
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Post by Dante on Jul 5, 2005 13:06:11 GMT -5
Klaus and Sunny's names were taken from a famous murder case. Claus von Bulow was convicted of killing his wife, Sunny. And there were some complications after that, but I haven't read up on them.
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Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891
Likes: 113
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Post by Antenora on Jul 5, 2005 14:11:48 GMT -5
I remember reading that one of the lawyers in the Von Bulow case was named Violet.
And Klaus Von Bulow killed his wife by injecting her with something, I think.
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Post by Libitina on Jul 6, 2005 22:01:59 GMT -5
Indeed; Claus did attempt to kill his wife by injecting her with a poison. However, he did not succeed.
I went to Newport last week, but I didn't have enough time to make careful observations. However, I did see a strange-looking man in a suit in a park. There were a few other things, but due to my lack of a notebook, I don't exactly remember them.
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Post by Libitina on Aug 13, 2005 16:25:08 GMT -5
Huzzah, I went to Newport today. Here are a few interesting things I noticed whilst riding: -A large sign that said "We Sell Firewood". -A street called Edgar Ct. -A man with a hook for a hand. -A statue of a man with a beard but no hair at the headquarters for the Preservation Society.
I also went to one of the mansions, Rosecliff. There were statues of lions in front. Of course, with the mansion being very old and containing a good record of history from that time, there were many connections to Lemony Snicket. One man in a painting, for example, was named Jacques. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to write down all the connections because I wasn't able to bring my commenplace book inside.
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Post by smileyman457 on Aug 14, 2005 13:25:31 GMT -5
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POTOphan
Catastrophic Captain
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
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Post by POTOphan on Aug 14, 2005 20:33:06 GMT -5
This is kind of crazy but Sunny's real name Martha Crawford is my mother's maiden name.
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