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Post by veryferociousdrama on Jul 29, 2019 1:40:36 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay guys!
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Post by Dante on Jul 29, 2019 7:30:54 GMT -5
‘All misfiled information, by definition, is none of your business.’ (p. -3) The canonical explanation for the false conclusions.
Inside Job / Black Paint / Deep Mine
“Marguerite Gracq” (p. 7) Interestingly, in a preview excerpt of the text included in a Little, Brown & Co. catalog, her name was Colette Gracq. I imagine Handler must have decided that the allusion wasn’t doing anything useful, though it’s possible to imagine an eliminated reference to needing some degree of flexibility in moving through narrow and winding mines. (That, of course, would have been a useful skill, and the adult Colette doesn’t believe her abilities to be of any use.)
‘the mysterious sound from the mine […] the buzzing was of natural origin’ (p. 211) The calls of immature Bombinating Beasts? We’ll revisit this in a later misfiled solution.
Pinched Creature / Dishonest Salesman / Backseat
‘Mr. Mallahan was sleeping late’ (p. 17) Mr. Mallahan remains unseen. It’s as easy to suggest that he’s dead as it is for Pip and Squeak’s father, honestly.
“I’m here for a few more months running the business until they come and fetch me” (p. 19) This might be one of the more explicit instances of children in Stain’d-by-the-Sea being abandoned to do everything themselves. The town almost becomes a town of children.
“A lizard is a reptile, and a newt is an amphibian.” (p. 20) I feel like this is specifically correcting the repeated herpetological errors in TRR.
“Snicket here has a knack for finding strange missing items.” (p. 21) And then losing them again.
“I would have heard anyone else driving up the road. […] To pinch my newt […] they’d need a similar tank. You couldn’t fit one on a bicycle or a donkey.” (p. 24) I’m not wholly sure that the explanation in Dishonest Salesman – that the thief simply parked a distance away, and then, I guess, put the newt in his pocket? – really satisfies the conditions here. If the newt can indeed survive out of its tank a little while, then the requirement that there was a tank all that nearby seems moot. Maybe the thief also had a handcart in his trunk.
“The closest eye doctor is way over in Paltryville, but she doesn’t have a very good reputation.” (p. 25) Seems a bit early in the chronology for this to be Georgina Orwell; but it might be a woman Georgina Orwell could be apprenticed to.
“There’s a garage about a half mile thataway” (p. 26) Moray Wheels, which we’ll be introduced to next time?
‘As veterinarians, the Doctors Sobol would have known this, and would have smuggled the eggs in their coat pockets’ (p. 215) I like how the misfiled solution completely reinterprets the background to this story, with the Doctors Sobol as suspects and egg smuggling as a crime.
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Jul 30, 2019 3:40:56 GMT -5
Finally! My favorite book from ATWQ !!!
To me he is like ATWQ's LSTUA. He is the most important, the most intriguing, which most allows me to create theories!I felt my hands tied all over the rest of ATWQ. I wanted to come up with theories while reading, but I couldn't ...I could only see stupid ideas that I didn't accept myself. I felt like I had lost my powers. But then I bought File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents, and my powers came back, in part at least ...
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Post by Dante on Jul 30, 2019 8:45:20 GMT -5
Ransom Note / Loud Dog / Quiet Street
“Ms. Knight is an associate of mine, and her automobile has always been top-of-the-line.” (p. 31) I think Pip and Squeak probably already know this, Snicket. Also, Cleo is the only pre-?3 associate of Snicket’s to be only mentioned in this book and not appear, though not the only Stain’d-by-the-Sea regular absent. On a related note, some of the stories in this book could take place before ?2, though it seems less likely for any to take place after ?3. File Under’s chronological position is fairly clear as coinciding with publication order.
‘A figure rolled itself out from under the shiny automobile, and someone about my age sat up and nodded at all of us.’ (p. 31) Jackie is a gender-neutral character, though whether it’s a gender-neutral name (and thus whether you noticed) is a matter of shifting trends.
‘If you ever want to see your dog alive again’ (33) This wording seems peculiarly unfeeling of the culprit.
“Hal Hairdryer” (p. 34) The reason I think Colette was scrapped as an allusion is because it was empty, contributing nothing. Hal Hairdryer at least contributes alliteration. Also, the joke is that you assume the Hairdryer Emporium is loud because it sells hairdryers, but in fact it’s only the proprietor’s name and we don’t know what it sells.
‘reminding me of a time we’d been out there together, chasing a villain named Hangfire’ (p. 36) I’m not sure there are references to Hangfire in any other chapter, or perhaps I simply don’t remember them as they’re not relevant. As I perhaps touched on with my chronological note above, File Under situates itself in a kind of status quo which doesn’t necessarily exist, although I like that it does.
“They’re keeping you from your work” (p. 37) You’re one to talk.
‘Hangfire was associated with Blotted Boulevard’ (p. 39) Bit of a stretch; he was never there, after all. But I appreciate the way File Under touches on even one of the more obscure standing locations in Stain’d-by-the-Sea, even if other plot-relevant ones are skipped over – Handkerchief Heights, anything to do with Ink Inc.
Walkie-Talkie / Through the Window / Beneath the Street
‘Stew slid off the stool and clattered away to the door marked RESTROOMS’ (p. 46) Probably the clattering is him dropping the first walkie-talkie.
‘I’d already known that Stew was a scoundrel, a swindler, a rake, and a snake in the grass.’ (p. 55) It is a little curious to me that this story gives away so much of its solution; the challenges of the form, I suppose.
‘“Drain-Leads-to-Sea” is a phrase which here means “a passageway ideal for small lizards and amphibians to travel to the Clusterous Forest.” The noises in the echoey passageway would have carried to other underground structures, such as basements and mines.’ (p. 223) This solution links to Deep Mine on page 211, though it’s also a hint to the main series. The buzzing of natural origin in the mine was probably produced by a reptile or amphibian in these underground passageways.
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Post by Dante on Jul 31, 2019 9:01:25 GMT -5
Bad Gang / Homemade Furniture / Small Courtyard
‘leaving jagged fragments of glass everywhere on the sidewalk’ (p. 61) The oldest clue in the book.
‘A boy about my age stepped forward, holding a board in each hand.’ (p. 63) Unlike not-Colette, Kevin is at least ambidextrous. I think another possibility for why Colette was dropped from the book is that one freak was enough; it would have been concentrating all the ASoUE allusions too closely.
“It’s an Old family business.” (p. 64) This joke would be funnier if the name wasn’t capitalised the first time.
‘Moxie’s father went to bed so early that she was unchaperoned most of the time.’ (p. 67) Add this to the evidence heap.
‘Stew Mitchum was a nasty piece of work.’ (p. 68) It’s an interesting reflection on the anticipated form that Stew Mitchum gets reintroduced here even though he appeared in only the previous story.
‘There were pink and red petals on the sidewalk, along with the familiar sight of broken glass’ (pp. 71-72) Notice how no glass is described as being on the sidewalk where Swords was attacked; only outside the shops were the culprits lived.
“a Respectable family business” (p. 73) Here the capitalisation is flat-out incorrect, though you can call that representative of Snicket’s mistaken interpretation.
“I hate having a book spoiled.” “I would never do such a thing” (p. 74) Snicket is fighting the good fight.
‘The key was in the cobblestones […] they likely wouldn’t hold up against violent animal life when used in the construction of clinics and schools.’ (p. 227) Not all of the false solutions contain clues to the overall plot of the main series; but enough do.
Silver Spoon / Twenty-Five Guests / Missing Pets
‘Armadale’s lizards were transported in a large tank originally designed for amphibians, large enough to hold the reptiles comfortably but small enough to fit into the trunk of a car.’ (p. 231) In other words, the sort of tank which would have been used to transport the Amaranthine Newt, too. The reference to tanks and amphibians of course links to the overall plot of ATWQ, but here it’s interlinked to Pinched Creature as well.
‘When confronted, Mrs. Flammarion admitted as much and returned the keys and wig.’ (p. 231) It’s hard to construct a story behind some of the false solutions. Other times, it’s interesting.
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Post by Dante on Aug 1, 2019 16:16:40 GMT -5
Violent Butcher / Small Sound / Large Meal
I like how, on the face of it, this title seems like it presages a very different story; it’s a slasher title.
“You shouldn’t drink coffee, anyway. It’s bad for you.” / “It’s bad for you if you never do anything bad for you” (p. 98) I’m not sure how to parse this; is it ‘coffee is bad for you if you never do anything [else] bad for you’, or ‘it’s bad for you not to do anything else that is bad for you’?
‘Read Meat’ (p. 99) I’m not sure I got this pun the first time around.
‘lizards and amphibians’ (p. 235) Yet again.
Twelve or Thirteen / Chalked Name / Other Name
This story feels like a proper mystery. I like the variety in this collection, and it makes me think it’s a shame that Snicket doesn’t write more (collected) short fiction.
“I was in the archives of The Stain’d Lighthouse […] looking through the articles my mother wrote when she was still a reporter in town.” (p. 110) “I like to think I developed some of my journalism skills on my own” (p. 111) “The Stain’d Lighthouse never smudged” (p. 113) Moxie is in an interesting position, at once wanting to present herself as an independent force whilst retaining a passion for the work of her parents and predecessors.
“I was investigating our big case” (p. 116) Moxie is finally involved as a key player and ally of Snicket’s. It’s not “your big case”, it’s “our big case”.
“They arrested him and put him on trial, and when he was found guilty, they shipped him off to prison in the city.” (p. 119) From what we hear in the rest of the series, trials are conducted in the city now, though there is a presumption of guilt on the part of the Mitchums.
“and check on my father” (p. 122) Note that we’ve now reached the point where Moxie’s father needs checking on. Moxie is almost becoming a carer.
“Two people named Williams” / “You’ve met them, Snicket. They work over at the distillery.” (p. 127) I’ve always been a little curious about this off-screen encounter.
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Post by Foxy on Aug 1, 2019 21:48:01 GMT -5
Oh boy, I am so excited this started again!
I just want to preface my notes by saying I read a lot of this late at night and might have been over-tired.
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents
INSIDE JOB/BLACK PAINT/DEEP MINE:
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
S. Theodora Markson
Prosper Lost
Marguerite Gracq
Marguerite’s father
Dagmar
Finnish poets in paintings: Henry Parkland, Peavo Cajander, Katri Vala, Eino Leino, Otto Manninen, Larin Paraske
Maguerite’s mother (m)
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Sensible: the tone you are supposed to use instead
Snide: the kind of tone you use in an argument
GEOGRAPHY:
Lost Arms
FOODOLGY:
Burned bread
Fluffy poached egg
S:
Snide answers aren’t appropriate.
Personal Notes:
“Like a good book is better than having your toe chopped off.” Ha!
“In prison, there is no polka music.” “In heaven, there is no beer.”
PINCHED CREATURE/DISHONEST SALESMAN/BACKSEAT
CHARACTERS:
Moxie Mallahan
Mrs. Mallahan
Mr. Mallahan
Oliver Sobol
Doctors Sobol
Polly Partial
Salesman
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
In a pinch: in a difficult situation
Inane: pointless and dull
GEOGRAPHY:
Partial Foods
FOODOLOGY:
Rootbeer
Personal Notes:
“The closest eye doctor is way over in Paltryville, but she doesn’t have a very good reputation.” I LOVE that Moxie knows this!
RANSOM NOTE/LOUD DOG/QUIET STREET
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Bouvard and Pecuchet Bellerophon (Pip & Squeak)
Pip & Squeak’s father
Jackie
Jackie’s grandfather
Cleo Knight
Lysistrata (dog)
Hal Hairdryer
Hal Hairdryer’s brother
S. Theodora Markson
Prosper Lost
Hangfire
VFD:
Violetta Frogg-Drifter
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Joyride: driving around just for fun
GEOGRAPHY:
Stain’d-by-the-Sea
Moray Wheels
Bowling Alley
Mortmain Mountains (m)
Dugga Drills
1300 Blotted Boulevard
Hairdryer Emporium
Hairdryer’s Salamies
FOODOLOGY:
Molasses
WALKIE TALKIE/THROUGH THE WINDOW/BENEATH THE STREET
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Jake Hix
Unemployed gondolier
Lean man in a green suit and a hat with a feather on it - Leroy
Stew Mitchum
Cops (Stew’ parents)
George (winds up not being real)
REFERENCES:
Book about the clever kid in Utah
SNICKET SECRETS:
He once was required to have a radio in his shoe.
GEOGRAPHY:
Hungry’s
Clusterous Forest
FOODOLOGY:
Spaghetti
Spinach
Cheese
Onion
Fried egg
Good crisp apple
Salt
Chocolate muffins
Steak Frites
Melon rind someone had tossed into the gutter
Personal Notes:
“My top choice was ‘never.’” Ha!
BAD GANG/HOMEMADE FURNITURE/SMALL COURTYARD
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
S. Theodora Markson
STM’s sister
Harvey and Mim Mitchum
Big Bad Brick Gang
Bob Old
Kevin
Moxie Mallahan
Moxie’s father
Jake Hix
Stew
Muriel Distinguished
Belerophon brothers, Pip & Squeak
Delphinium Smith
Florence
Violetta
Dagwood
REFERENCES:
Edgar Allen Poe – The Telltale Heart
Book about a dead bird changing a girl’s mind about her mother’s suitor, and she went back
Book with Peter escaping from Barbados and deciding to become a buccaneer
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Confidentially: please don’t tell anyone
GEOGRAPHY:
Lost Arms
The town’s first business district
Boards
Hungry’s
Swords
Cords
Gourds
Fjords (closed down)
Chrysanthemums
FOODOLOGY:
Frittata
S:
See you Sunday!
Personal Notes:
“You sound like a person who doesn’t want a brand-new teacup.” Not really sure why STM was allowed to be a chaperone...
“And I’m not ashamed to say I did a little dance.” Picturing Lemony Snicket dancing is impossible.
“Then why did you think the store was called Broads when we first got here?” ROFL!!!
SILVER SPOON/TWENTY-FIVE GUESTS/MISSING PETS
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Dashiell Qwerty
Visitors, readers: mostly men, at least two were women
Randall (Ashbery, dog)
Bearded man
Armdale
Smogface Wiley – Sir???
Butler (Hangfire)
Numerous other servants
Servant at Wiley’s
Mr. Samsa
Dr. Auchincloss
Madame Blavatsky
Mrs. Flammarion
REFERENCES:
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The one about the woman who falls asleep and kills a horse
The one where a bookcase falls on someone
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Askew: crooked, and should be repaired
Shady: giving shade, ever so slightly sinister
Well-bred: a word which doesn’t mean anything at all, but which some people use to make themselves feel better than others
GEOGRAPHY:
A small camp on the outskirts of town
Dicey’s Department Store
Hardware store (closed down)
Blotted Boulevard
Nib Court
Sallis Mansion
Far East Suite
FOODOLOGY:
Soup
Canned peaches
Mushrooms
Fried egg
Roasted potatoes
Cereal
Blueberry muffin
Fresh peach
Personal Notes:
Engraved with the letter R – in anyway related to the Duchess of Winnipeg?
“A brass walrus stands out.”
“I was out shopping for ascots and asked him to move aside so I could admire my reflection in the window.” Sounds related to Count Olaf.
VIOLENT BUTCHER/SMALL SOUND/LARGE MEAL
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Ellington Feint
Mack: Large man sitting on a curb, butcher
Drumstick
REFERENCES:
Read Meat (Magazine)
Movie where something important was hidden in a piano and people were singing in French
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Preternaturally: extra
GEOGRAPHY:
Black Cat Coffee
Stain’d-by-the-Sea
Corner of Caravan and Parfait
Patrial Foods
FOODOLOGY:
Coffee
Venison
Bread
Game hen
Rack of lamb
Veal chops
Bone marrow
Personal Notes:
What does ‘locked tight as last year’s pants’ mean?
Drumstick has normal eyebrows.
What does lizard stew with unsalted butter have to do with anything?
TWELVE OR THIRTEEN/CHALKED NAME/OTHER NAME
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Moxie Mallahan
Moxie’s mother
Gary Dorian – Dorian Gray reference?
Chase B. Willow
The Mitchums
The Officers Durham
Mrs. Willow
Lawn mower technician
Mr. Mallahan
Sledders:
Mrs. Williams (nee Herman)
Dr. Carlos
Mr Williams
Mr. Willow
Mrs. Summerover
Dr. River
Mr. Noleaf
Dr. Bitten
Mr. Crimson
Mrs. Cling
Mr. Paler
Mr. Loth
REFERENCES:
The Stain’d Lighthouse
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
Maintained his innocence: said he didn’t do it
GEOGRAPHY:
Stain’d-by-the-Sea
Former City Hall
Library
Police station
Homily Hill
Ink Inc.
Distillery
FOODOLOGY:
Hot cider
Limeade
The Salty Mess
Personal Notes:
An auction?
The escape from prison is very interesting.
MIDNIGHT DEMON/ PANICKED FEET/SAND AND SHORE
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Thomasina Cozy
Tatiana
Treacle
Baron von Pendle
Tabitha (dog)
References:
A book with Santa Claus
Snicket Dictionary:
A shadow of its former self: not as good as it used to be
Reasonable: not a demon
GEOGRAPHY:
Cozy’s: Rocking Chair store
Gobi Pier
FOODOLOGY:
Oatmeal
Personal Notes:
“All your father and I had in common was that we both liked scary movies and eating big-boned fish.” Lady, this is why you are in the situation you are in!
“But I always assumed that my spouse would occasionally take walks.” This is never going to come true.
“I hoped she was dreaming of buying a comb and that someday her dreams would come true.” 😀
“This book was just spoiled by the arrival of Santa Claus.” 😀 😀
THREE SUSPECTS/VERY OBVIOUS/POOR JOKE
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
Officers Mitchum: Harvey and Mimi
Polly Partial
Three men with scraggly beards
REFERENCES:
I think the Mitchums watched ”Zombies in the Snow” and another Sebald movie. Maybe ”Ants in the Fruit Salad”?
Alain-Fournier
Harry Carney
GEOGRAPHY:
Library
Police station
Partial Foods
Devotee Symphony
French horn factory
FOODOLOGY:
Root beer float
Blueberry pies
Personal Notes:
The Mitchums’ argument was just about to get REALLY interesting.
What did he mean about the gray field turning?
”Last night she had twenty... and today she counted zero. So at least eighteen are missing.” How were these people allowed to become police officers???
Okay, so there is a symphony in town? I don’t think this place is as abandoned as it seems.
”If they’re not clean, the law won’t be clean.” Seriously, this makes no sense.
VANISHED MESSAGE/MESSAGE RECEIVED/MESSAGE RECORDED
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
S. Theodora Markson
Blotto the Octopus
Lois Dressing
Pharmacist
Jake Hix
Dashiell Qwerty
The Yamgraz
V.F.D.:
Very Fancy Doily (Qwerty found it left in a book)
REFERENCES:
A book with a virus on it/oyster shell
Snicket Dictionary:
Continental breakfast: plenty of pastries and cereal, along with juice and coffee or tea
Flyblown: squalid
Put out: troubled
Squalid: I wanted to leave immediately
GEOGRAPHY:
Far East Suite
Lost Arms
Swinster Pharmacy (I read that book, and I did not like it or understand it.)
Stain’d Station
Flounder Ponds
Hungry’s
Yamgraz Drive
FOODOLOGY:
Continental breakfast – Schoenberg cereal
Milk
Tangerine soda
Sabdwiches
Personal Notes:
After reading STM and Snicket’s argument, I feel like this book cannot get any more ridiculous.
”Threatening nudity is a powerful way to be left alone...” okay seriously, I’m dreaming right now. There’s no way the book actually says that.
”I watched carefully. It wasn’t a hat.” I don’t understand. What wasn’t a hat?
Okay, that message recorded is CREE-PY! Also, it talks about a hat, and there was that srandom sentence in this story about a hat. Also, Qwerty mentioned castanets.
TROUBLESOME GHOST/TRAIN WRECK/NERVOUS WRECK
CHARACTERS:
Lemony Snicket
S. Theodora Markson
Prosper Lost
Jake Hix
Worried-looking man: Hans Mann
Old Lady Mann
Sally Murphy
Billy Becker
Mann’s sister, who joined the air force
REFERENCES:
Shiver Me Timbers
Mother of Icarus
Look Out for that Train Wreck
The Man Who Looked Somewhat Like Winston Churchill
GEOGRAPHY:
Far East Suite
Lost Arms
Stain’d-by-the-Sea
Hungry’s
Stain’d Playhouse
Stpalegun factory
Anchovy District
FOODOLOGY:
Banana Waffles
Tea
Real whipped cream
Maple Syrup
Personal Notes:
”I never need maple syrup. I can’t shake the feeling that it’s like drink the blood of a tree.” Who says this kind of stuff?
FIGURE IN THE FOG/SHOUTED WORD/LAST WORD
CHARACTERS:
LEMONY SNICKET
Dashiell Qwerrty
Shadowy figure
Big bad brick gang
Hans
Doctors Sobol
Oliver
The guy who ate steak frites
Mr. And Mrs. Willow
Marguerite and her mother
Jackie
Jackie’s grandfather
the Mitchums
The three brothers who made the french horns
Randall and the drifters
Lois Dressing
the Yamgraz
The rocking chair twins
Ellington Feint
Hangfire
REFERNECES:
A book about a man who attacked a littlre girl, and then felt bad about it and offered her family a huge sum of money he’d stolen from a famous scientist
SNICKET DICTIONARY:
without rhyme or reason: every which way
GEOGRAPHY:
Stain’d-by-the-Sea
Library
Ink, Inc.
Offshore Island
Lost Arms
Hungry’s
Stationary store
Sobol office
Homily HIll
Moray Wheels
Abandoned band shell
French horn factory
the police station
Swinster Pharmacy
Cozy’s
Black Cat Coffee
FOODOLOGY:
Root beer floats
Personal Notes:
Was he referring to Beatrice on pages 196-197?
I don’t get this one.
This was a very depressing ending.
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Post by Dante on Aug 2, 2019 9:09:48 GMT -5
Foxy, a lot of your questions about the books the characters allude to are answered in this Reference Guide. You'll have heard of some of them, but the way the characters describe the stories sure doesn't make it easy - which is part of the fun. Engraved with the letter R – in anyway related to the Duchess of Winnipeg? At the very least an allusion. Page 152, and it relates to Snicket's description of Harvey's hair on page 151: 'I had a close-up look at the back of Harvey Mitchum's head. If you would like to see what I saw, simply imagine a field of greasy, graying grass.' When Snicket taps Harvey Mitchum, the grey field turns around because Harvey's head turns around. Page 169, and again, it refers to a physical metaphor on the previous page, 168: 'His face was pale and old, and he either was wearing an unusual hat or his head fit neatly into one of the pharmacy's light fixtures.' When the proprietor nods, it becomes clear which of the two it is. Just any associate, I think. This particular story isn't a mystery in the usual sense; it's a mystery perhaps in the sense ASoUE was, in that it's a meditation on the mysteriousness of the life Lemony Snicket leaves. As with ASoUE, it's perhaps not so much a depressing ending as an open one. Midnight Demon / Panicked Feet / Sand and ShoreI’m curious about the ages of the characters in this story. Mrs. Cozy is described repeatedly as an ‘old woman’ (from p. 129), but Tatiana and Treacle, her children, are a ‘young man and […] young woman’ (p. 132) who are clearly very much under her authority still. The story almost reads as if she’s their grandmother rather than their mother. I suppose Mrs. Cozy must have had children late in life. “Once Tatiana marries Baron von Pendle, all our problems will be solved.” (p. 133) This story is a little bit of a parody of gothic novels, and indeed of TBB. Three Suspects / Very Obvious / Poor Joke‘Stain’d-by-the-Sea’s only library, for as long as it lasted’ (p. 149) More foreshadowing; though since as it turns out neither the building nor the books were destroyed, then in a sense the library did not in fact disappear. ‘The cell was damp and cramped and couldn’t hold very many people, and right then it held three men’ (pp. 152-153) It’s unclear when exactly Flammarion and Dander were sent for trial in the city, but clearly it’s fairly snappily, as this story definitely takes place after ?2, per p. 154 where Snicket remembers ‘how unreliable she had been as a witness recently’. “Are you sure Ms. Partial is giving you an accurate account?” “Sure we’re sure” (p. 154) Polly Partial can literally barely see past the end of her nose, so it’s curious that this detail is left in when she could easily have been swapped for another witness, especially since the crime apparently involves her witnessing the theft of her own pies and not realising until the following morning. The title of ‘Poor Joke’ (p. 247) is probably aimed at people who didn’t appreciate the gimmick of this particular incident.
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Post by Foxy on Aug 2, 2019 9:32:45 GMT -5
‘Mr. Mallahan was sleeping late’ (p. 17) Mr. Mallahan remains unseen. It’s as easy to suggest that he’s dead as it is for Pip and Squeak’s father, honestly. I don't know if I would guess they are dead so much as just not present even if they are physically there. ‘A figure rolled itself out from under the shiny automobile, and someone about my age sat up and nodded at all of us.’ (p. 31) Jackie is a gender-neutral character, though whether it’s a gender-neutral name (and thus whether you noticed) is a matter of shifting trends. Huh, I never noticed that. I always guessed Jackie was a boy. Does it remind you of Encyclopedia Brown at all? ‘A boy about my age stepped forward, holding a board in each hand.’ (p. 63) Unlike not-Colette, Kevin is at least ambidextrous. I think another possibility for why Colette was dropped from the book is that one freak was enough; it would have been concentrating all the ASoUE allusions too closely. Oh wow, I never noticed this before! Thanks for that reference page, I will check that out. Still have more of your notes I need to read later!
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Post by Dante on Aug 2, 2019 9:58:46 GMT -5
Does it remind you of Encyclopedia Brown at all? I'm aware of Encyclopedia Brown only by reputation, unfortunately; though I enjoyed Wikipedia Brown.
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Post by Foxy on Aug 3, 2019 12:32:31 GMT -5
I like how, on the face of it, this title seems like it presages a very different story; it’s a slasher title. I find this story really sad. It strikes its point with child abuse, which I think is kind of a theme in both ASOUE and ATWQ, just in different ways, the latter being more neglect. I think the latter is probably right. I love that about Moxie. She strikes me as the "be your own person, but remember where you came from" kind of girl. I’m curious about the ages of the characters in this story. Mrs. Cozy is described repeatedly as an ‘old woman’ (from p. 129), but Tatiana and Treacle, her children, are a ‘young man and […] young woman’ (p. 132) who are clearly very much under her authority still. The story almost reads as if she’s their grandmother rather than their mother. I suppose Mrs. Cozy must have had children late in life. Since Tatiana is old enough to get married, you could maybe put her in her early twenties, or even older. If Mrs. Cozy was around forty when she had the children, she might be in her sixties now. But that's all conjecture.
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Post by Dante on Aug 4, 2019 12:24:11 GMT -5
Vanished Message / Message Received / Message Recorded
‘It surprised me that the fading town still had a working postal service, and the speedy delivery of a mysterious package was an important part of my biggest case.’ (p. 162) The Bombinating Beast in ?1, presumably, though it remains mysterious that it took so many people so long to go and check on it. Perhaps they underestimated the speed of the mail delivery? Which is once again set up as something of a mystery in itself here, but not one we ever solve. It also occurs to me that Lemony’s repeated use of ‘big case’ and ‘biggest case’ sets the investigations in File Under on the same level as the mainline mystery, even though as far as we can otherwise tell Lemony is in Stain’d-by-the-Sea purely for the sake of pursuing that big case. Why is Theodora still in Stain’d-by-the-Sea? Now, she seems to have been permanently stationed there now; which is in a sense the kind of position from which lines like this are being written from.
‘The Swinster Pharmacy, I knew, was a building with a mysterious reputation’ (p. 165) A pleasant surprise, for those of us who had read 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy when it was published a couple of months previous. Snicket’s non-mainline works rarely cross over into the mainline.
‘Flounder Ponds’ (p. 165) A name reminiscent of ‘Killdeer Fields’, not that I think there’s anything important in the resemblance.
‘along the far wall was the counter where Lois Dressing said she’d enjoyed a tangerine soda. It was very dusty, with padded seats ripped here and there and lonely striped linoleum that looked like it also wanted to leave immediately. I couldn’t imagine enjoying anything there, let alone something tangerine-flavored.’ (p. 167) Lemony has good instincts, and his observations here help us to understand that there is more to this request than meets the eye. Or at least, they would, if it weren’t for the fact that:
“And the woman didn’t leave anything here?” / “A few coins, to pay for the soda.” (p. 169) She really did sit at that dusty counter and enjoy a tangerine soda.
‘My biggest case revolved around an item that kept disappearing and reappearing all over town.’ (p. 170) I’m not quite sure this is an accurate description of the case, or of the movements of the item in question.
“two shed snakeskins and a doily that was quite finely made” (p. 172) The shed skin we should keep in mind for later; so far as the doily is concerned, Qwerty continues to not be particularly subtle.
Endings like this make you realise why it’s ‘The conclusion to “Vanished Message” is filed under’ (p. 176), etc., and not ‘The solution to’.
‘Dear Headquarters’ (p. 250) Gee, I wonder how V.F.D.’s enemies are able to track down the organisation so easily.
‘T’ and ‘Q’ (pp. 251-252) readily bring to mind Theodora and Qwerty; but of course, the former should really be S., and the latter, D. So really, this is only a hint; rather than a clue.
Troublesome Ghost / Train Wreck / Nervous Wreck
‘We even had a train wreck onstage when we performed Look Out for That Train Wreck.’ (p. 180) I wonder if the Sally Murphy reference is to remind us that she exists, since she becomes a recurring character in ?4. The train wreck is definitely ?4 foreshadowing.
‘[…] and Sally Murphy are the only ones still in Stain’d-by-the-Sea.’ (pp. 181-182) Before this, we may not have thought of Sally Murphy as a regular, someone who might still be around; but in ?4, this proves to be the case.
‘[…] and spends his time trying to catch rats in an old pillowcase’ (p. 182) If you don’t know how to clue an answer, why not put it right in front of the audience’s nose?
‘In some instances, eliminating every other word from a speech in a play results in a secret message’ (p. 255) In the old days, some fans would have probably gone through ATWQ, trying this on every sentence. The false solutions seem to try less and less to look like false solutions as the text progresses, and more like the misfiled information they are.
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Post by Foxy on Aug 5, 2019 8:13:14 GMT -5
‘ Dear Headquarters’ (p. 250) Gee, I wonder how V.F.D.’s enemies are able to track down the organisation so easily. Plus she tells him not to look at the back of the post card, so his knee jerk reaction of course is going to be to look at the back of the post card. I thought it was kind of weird for another agent to be added into the story. I looked at Wikipedia Brown, and that seems exactly like Encyclopedia Brown...
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Post by Hermes on Aug 5, 2019 10:52:26 GMT -5
VFD does take its 'hidden in plain sight' thing to extremes sometimes: perhaps if it were really hidden, it would not be able to serve the public. Cf. the anarchists in The Man who was Thursday, who meet in public, pretending to be old men who are playing at being anarchists.
Sorry that I haven't had time to keep up with this. I have a few thoughts, beginning with a geographical speculation. Moxie says that the nearest eye doctor is 'way over in Paltryville'; this implies that Paltryville isn't very close, but it also implies that it's closer than the city and other major towns. On wonders if it is on the same railway line: and if so, as we learn in ?4 that there are no stops between Stain'd and the city, did the Baudelaires go through Stain'd on their way there?
As to whether this optometrist is Dr Orwell, I don't see why she can't be: I don't think Dr Orwell's age is ever established. The show makes her contemporary with Olaf, but that needn't be true in the books. On the other hand, perhaps young Georgina is this doctor's apprentice, on the evil side of VFD.
Talking of Paltryville, last time we read this we discussed the relation between Smogface Wiley and Sir, and concluded they can't be the same person, despite the obvious similarity. But might they be cousins? We are told that the Wileys 'own businesses all over the area', including timber; if we take this to mean that different members of the family own the various businesses, and given the relative closeness of Paltryville, might Lucky Smells Lumbermill be one of them? (Perhaps another is a melon farm. Could the notorious honeydew melons have come from there?) It's not clear what the Wileys were doing in Stain'd, but given that the ink industry seems to have dominated the town, perhaps it was just a seaside mansion where they came for vacations.
There remains a problem, of course, in that Sir's surname, as well as his first name, is said to be hard to pronounce. But he might be a Wiley on his mother's side.
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Post by Dante on Aug 6, 2019 4:30:08 GMT -5
Figure in Fog / Shouted Word / Last Word
This story is more the sort of mystery long-time Snicket fans will be familiar with.
‘Stain’d-by-the-Sea’s library was not particularly big’ (p. 192) It had better not be, with what happens in ?3.
‘I paused, not knowing how much of the story I should tell him.’ (p. 194) It is still strange to me that Snicket never anticipated the truth about Qwerty.
‘[…] and other lost creations of the residents of Stain’d-by-the-Sea.’ (p. 200) Presented without comment.
The false, or perhaps correct, solution to ‘Last Word’ (p. 259) has nine characters, which doesn’t cover an enormous number of words or names in ATWQ; and unsurprisingly, ‘Ellington’ is the chief contender (although ‘Armstrong’ would also fit). Were you to follow that interpretation, you might think that perhaps there was somebody else pursuing the figure in fog, without Snicket ever realising they were there. (Eight letters, on the other hand, would give manifold solutions. Hangfire; Theodora; Mallahan; Solitude. Sometimes I forget that it was nine.)
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