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Post by Grace on Sept 5, 2005 9:32:01 GMT -5
Brian, about Olaf, that is EXACTLY what I thought. Olaf was a horrible, evil, criminal mastermind, and now all of a sudden, he's giggling like a fifth-grade girl? I don't think so. Yes, he may be happy that he finally got the Baudelaire fortune. (Or so he thought.) But wasn't he happy when he had killed Monty and Josephine? But you didn't see him chuckling and chortling! I liked the movie. I really did. I thought Jim Carrey was funny, etc, etc. But that Jim Carreyness needs to stay in the movie. If it follows to the books, we're all in trouble, as book-fans. The movie and the book are different things, Handler.
The rest I think is just an overreaction. As Antenora said, there is alot of character development. And I don't think the sadness/drama of TBB-TVV is any different than THH-TGG. But Olaf's non-scariness scared me.
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Post by Sugary Snicket on Sept 5, 2005 9:35:59 GMT -5
The Baudelaires are, in conclusion, learning that there are worse people in the world than Olaf.
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Post by Ennui on Sept 5, 2005 9:53:52 GMT -5
Quite. If you like, you could take Olaf's comparative contemptibility as a metaphor, emphasising how far the Baudelaires have advanced and how much they've experienced, so that the once petrifying villain is now an object of their mockery, to a degree.
Conversely, were books extant detailing the time of the schism, when Olaf was at the height of his villainous skill, Olaf would be far more frightening than he is even in the Bad Beginning or Reptile Room.
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Post by Brian on Sept 5, 2005 11:57:10 GMT -5
That's extremely interesting, but the Baudelaires are still petrified of him. It's us, as the readers, who no longer experience the fright.
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Post by Ennui on Sept 5, 2005 12:03:54 GMT -5
Weeell...up to a point, Lord Copper. Look at their confrontations in the Grim Grotto; the Baudelaires show more anger and frustration than fear, and are not so easily cowed. They are also far more active in their resistance to him, seeing as they do the wider, overreaching goal of VFD.
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Post by Brian on Sept 5, 2005 19:16:30 GMT -5
I just reread some parts of The Grim Grotto and The Slippery Slope, and you're right. Even though they still say they have a lot of fear, their actions don't show it. Therefore, you brought up a great point. My bad.
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Post by s on Sept 5, 2005 21:11:02 GMT -5
I just reread TGG and it wasn't as bad as I remember it being. Olaf's laugh was still there, and he was still being pushed around by Carmelita, but there were still a couple of very scary Olaf moments. (and one very funny one: "You're a marshmallow, Carmelita.") I mean, yes, he is becoming less frightening overall, but he is certainly still quite villainous.
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Post by LBeall on Sept 5, 2005 21:30:09 GMT -5
I also just re-read TGG. After reading this thread, I paid more attention to Olaf. I still think the Baudelaires simply are not as frightened of him. He still says things just as threatening as he has before, he is just not in the story as much and easier to overlook. I agree with SetnicK, the book wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be a second time through. As the children learn more there is less to fear. So is life....
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Post by Brian on Sept 6, 2005 16:07:06 GMT -5
I'd test that out and reread it if I weren't so busy with school and tennis and everything. Thanks for all your input, guys and gals.
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Post by Sugary Snicket on Sept 9, 2005 15:13:02 GMT -5
That's how you combat fear - you fight it. The more you learn about something, the less scarier it becomes. Knowledge is power.
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Post by Juan Roberto Montoya De Toledo on Sept 14, 2005 4:40:58 GMT -5
But wasn't he happy when he had killed Monty and Josephine? But you didn't see him chuckling and chortling! Of course he wasn't chuckling when he killed those two people. Mr Poe was on the scene in both cases.
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Post by Brian on Sept 14, 2005 18:54:42 GMT -5
That's not the point, Scotty. We're looking at character development, not irrelevant plot details.
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Post by hookhandedgirl on Sept 16, 2005 19:02:28 GMT -5
i think they're getting too light and lovey-dovey *klaus/fiona, and quiggly/ and violet (yes i know quiggly is spelled wrong...)* i like the darker ones... the only good thing about the newer ones are the mushrooms.
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Post by Sugary Snicket on Sept 17, 2005 10:14:18 GMT -5
Cat, are you obsessed with mushrooms as well as compys? Anyway, the Baudelaires are learning that there are far worse people in the world that Olaf. They are learning to fight their fears. And they are learning that Fiona is a volatile, evil cow.
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Post by Juan Roberto Montoya De Toledo on Sept 17, 2005 11:00:39 GMT -5
Or is that just you?
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