Post by SnicketFires on Sept 11, 2004 23:52:09 GMT -5
As I re-read TBB, TRR and TWW in anticipation of TGG, some things were brought to my attention.
The Bad Beginning:
Page 3: "...in the heart of a dirty and busy city, and occaisionally their parents gave them permission..."
How often is occaisonally? More than once?
Page 6: "Mr. Poe was a friend of Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire's whom the children had met many times at dinner parties."
Who else attended these dinner parties? How did Poe know the orphans were at the beach?
Page 9: "I am the executor of your parent's estate."
Why was Poe the executor? Isn't the executor usually a relative? I think that he was chosen because of VFD, whether he was a member or not. If he wasn't, he'd be a safer choice, as he'd be less likely to be in danger. But surely they could have chosen someone more competent.
Page 15: “’Your parents’ will,’ Mr. Poe said, ‘instructs that you be raised in the most convenient way possible’”
This contradicts what he says in future books, which I have also made notes about. See below.
Page 30: “…have dinner ready for all ten of them by the time they arrive at seven o’clock.”
All ten of them? There are ten in TSS, not counting TMWABBNH and TWWHBNB, but counting the ones that have died. In TBB: Powdery Woman 1, Powdery Woman 2, Hooky, Bald man with the long nose, the either-gendered person, the wart faced man. And Count Olaf. True, there were many that the Baudelaire’s didn’t see, but why would Handler have so many villains if he didn’t follow up on half of them?
Page 34: “…most of the Baudelaire’s friends had fallen by the wayside…You and I, of course, would never do this to any of our grieving acquaintances, but it is a sad truth in life that when someone has lost a loved one, friends sometime avoid the person, just when the presence of friends is most needed.”
Did Lemony have this happen to him too? Is this why he’s taken to wandering solely after the Baudelaire orphans? Because his own friends, family and fellow VFDers have abandoned him?
Page 110: “ ‘…You may have read more books than I have…’
Count Olaf says this. He must have been even slightly well read to have been inducted into VFD, or have been well-read in childhood. It is undoubted that Klaus has read a great deal more than most people, but Olaf minimally knows Klaus, unless he’s been spying on him for years, which I wouldn’t put past him.
Page 125: “…and a handful of candles which were giving off flickering shadows…”
I am quite confused about this. This ‘world’ seems to be modern enough to have cars, and advanced computers, but sometimes resorts to candles for light. They obviously have electricity, with radiators, stoves, and computers requiring electricity, but why would he use candles, and risk burning down his own house (I’m sure this could be one arson that Count Olaf would want prevented) when he could use an electric light? There were also candles on the dinner table during the puttanesca sauce incident.
Page 129-30: “Klaus read through Count Olaf’s papers and books.”
Count Olaf has books? There aren’t any in the rest of the house. I resent the lack of information on these alleged books. We don’t even get to see their titles or subjects. I think that they probable were requirements for VFD, like Ivan Lachrymose, or similar. There couldn’t be important VFD handbooks, because Klaus would have read them. If this problem hadn’t arisen, I’d be inclined to think that they were books of VFD codes, or plans.
Page 134: “Members of Count Olaf’s theatre troupe hurried this way and that…Three very short men were carrying a large flat piece of wood… The two white faced women…an important looking man with warts all over his face…controlled by a woman with very short hair…”
This makes ten, counting Hooky, the Bald man, and “Orlando.” Eleven with Olaf. But what happens to the other five during the rest of the series? Why keep only five faithfuls?
Page 148: “…Please remove Sunny from her cage and bring her directly to the theatre. Klaus and Sunny have some chores to do before they go to bed.”
What would these chores be? Playing with matches? Heavy machinery?
Page 160: “ ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, children, but I cannot allow you to be raised by someone who is not a relative.’ ‘…but your parents’ will is very specific. You must be adopted by a relative.”
See my note to page 15. Mr. Poe first says that they must be raised in the most convenient way possible, but here he says they must be raised by a relative. I smell something fishy.
- - -
I will post TRR and TWW notes tommorow, or sooner.
Discuss.
The Bad Beginning:
Page 3: "...in the heart of a dirty and busy city, and occaisionally their parents gave them permission..."
How often is occaisonally? More than once?
Page 6: "Mr. Poe was a friend of Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire's whom the children had met many times at dinner parties."
Who else attended these dinner parties? How did Poe know the orphans were at the beach?
Page 9: "I am the executor of your parent's estate."
Why was Poe the executor? Isn't the executor usually a relative? I think that he was chosen because of VFD, whether he was a member or not. If he wasn't, he'd be a safer choice, as he'd be less likely to be in danger. But surely they could have chosen someone more competent.
Page 15: “’Your parents’ will,’ Mr. Poe said, ‘instructs that you be raised in the most convenient way possible’”
This contradicts what he says in future books, which I have also made notes about. See below.
Page 30: “…have dinner ready for all ten of them by the time they arrive at seven o’clock.”
All ten of them? There are ten in TSS, not counting TMWABBNH and TWWHBNB, but counting the ones that have died. In TBB: Powdery Woman 1, Powdery Woman 2, Hooky, Bald man with the long nose, the either-gendered person, the wart faced man. And Count Olaf. True, there were many that the Baudelaire’s didn’t see, but why would Handler have so many villains if he didn’t follow up on half of them?
Page 34: “…most of the Baudelaire’s friends had fallen by the wayside…You and I, of course, would never do this to any of our grieving acquaintances, but it is a sad truth in life that when someone has lost a loved one, friends sometime avoid the person, just when the presence of friends is most needed.”
Did Lemony have this happen to him too? Is this why he’s taken to wandering solely after the Baudelaire orphans? Because his own friends, family and fellow VFDers have abandoned him?
Page 110: “ ‘…You may have read more books than I have…’
Count Olaf says this. He must have been even slightly well read to have been inducted into VFD, or have been well-read in childhood. It is undoubted that Klaus has read a great deal more than most people, but Olaf minimally knows Klaus, unless he’s been spying on him for years, which I wouldn’t put past him.
Page 125: “…and a handful of candles which were giving off flickering shadows…”
I am quite confused about this. This ‘world’ seems to be modern enough to have cars, and advanced computers, but sometimes resorts to candles for light. They obviously have electricity, with radiators, stoves, and computers requiring electricity, but why would he use candles, and risk burning down his own house (I’m sure this could be one arson that Count Olaf would want prevented) when he could use an electric light? There were also candles on the dinner table during the puttanesca sauce incident.
Page 129-30: “Klaus read through Count Olaf’s papers and books.”
Count Olaf has books? There aren’t any in the rest of the house. I resent the lack of information on these alleged books. We don’t even get to see their titles or subjects. I think that they probable were requirements for VFD, like Ivan Lachrymose, or similar. There couldn’t be important VFD handbooks, because Klaus would have read them. If this problem hadn’t arisen, I’d be inclined to think that they were books of VFD codes, or plans.
Page 134: “Members of Count Olaf’s theatre troupe hurried this way and that…Three very short men were carrying a large flat piece of wood… The two white faced women…an important looking man with warts all over his face…controlled by a woman with very short hair…”
This makes ten, counting Hooky, the Bald man, and “Orlando.” Eleven with Olaf. But what happens to the other five during the rest of the series? Why keep only five faithfuls?
Page 148: “…Please remove Sunny from her cage and bring her directly to the theatre. Klaus and Sunny have some chores to do before they go to bed.”
What would these chores be? Playing with matches? Heavy machinery?
Page 160: “ ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, children, but I cannot allow you to be raised by someone who is not a relative.’ ‘…but your parents’ will is very specific. You must be adopted by a relative.”
See my note to page 15. Mr. Poe first says that they must be raised in the most convenient way possible, but here he says they must be raised by a relative. I smell something fishy.
- - -
I will post TRR and TWW notes tommorow, or sooner.
Discuss.
