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Post by Cream of Silk on Jun 24, 2008 11:13:32 GMT -5
Okay. I know that I myself have quite a few theories about the Beatrice letters that NOBODY has mentioned before in any of the posts (at least any that I've read). Okay, so post away, and once someone posts something, I'll probably input my own theories then, too. Feel free to post anything, even if it's not really something new (although it's best if it is).
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Post by Dante on Jun 24, 2008 11:21:05 GMT -5
Are you sure you don't want to start things off with something for us to discuss? I'm sure we're all intrigued to hear some theories that nobody's ever posted before.
Here's my old theory: BB to LS #6 is actually to a youth of about Beatrice's age who just happens to have the initials LS; consequently, it foreshadows that the entire series of unfortunate events is set to repeat over again in some form.
Another question which there's probably no conclusive answer to: The identity of Beatrice's co-star. Despite the lack of evidence that he's ever been involved with acting, I suggest Bertrand.
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Post by Cream of Silk on Jun 24, 2008 11:28:21 GMT -5
Well, I'll start by firststating something relatively minor. If you notice, on the side of the poster with the shipwreck, the huge spatual from TPP are present. However, the Baudelaires, as far as I know, did NOT take the spatula with them on their way from the island. What could this mean? Then, on the flip side, there are only PICTURES of variouis of the Baudelaire's belongings. There is also an actual bowler hat, that I'm pretty sure they didn't take along with them. I believe that this means that the poster is not actually the shipwreck of the baudelaires, but of Lemony Snicket. Could it mean that Lemony Snicket was going to research the Baudelaires, somehow had acces to the boat, tried to redo the journey like it would have been for them, and then it sank? So it wasn't the boat that the Baudelaires were on that sank ("Beatrice Sank"), but the one that LS was on? I could be wrong.
Oh, and I've heard a very interesting theory that states that Lemony is not one but two people. This is suggested by the fact that "one letter can change everything", and the phrase "untie my Silence knot" is used frequently. Now, if you change the order of the i in "untie", you get unite, therefore changing this to "Unite Lemony Snicket". This is far-fetched, but "Lemony Snicket is not who you think he is", according to "13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket". One half could be Beatrice Sr. who diead (maybe), or she could have died and Sir, the other half, could have taken over. Sir from Luckysmells, since Beatrice Jr. always addresses him as "Sir", and nobody ever saw his face, and also he had the initials "LS" on his pjs. OR Lemony could be hiding from the authorities as sir.
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Post by Dante on Jun 24, 2008 11:34:17 GMT -5
An interesting idea. That's one way of resolving the problem of the spatulas, which shouldn't be there. But on the other hand, possibly the Baudelaires took along the spatulas on their return journey anyway, but the book simply didn't mention it. Alternatively, maybe it's a mistake Helquist made - or he deliberately put it in to make us think that the poster happened somewhere near the start of The End (since TBL came out between TPP and The End). The flip side of the poster, though, is Lemony's cave, along with various items he's salvaged as part of his research. He's usually wearing a similar sort of hat, and he also has the locked box which he keeps his map of the city in - or maybe it's his box of letters.
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Post by Cream of Silk on Jun 24, 2008 11:36:26 GMT -5
I edited my last post, and added another theory that I've heard. I was also wondering if "My Kind Editor" is an anagram? Okay. Also, I thought that it was kind of strange that Lemony had the letters that he sent to Beatrice, but not that Beatrice sent to him. Shouldn't it be opposite? So maybe Lemony's WHOLE relationship with Beatrice was imaginary! Now, I'll admit that there are a few flaws: in Book the Thirteenth, why would it have said in "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (the one that the Baudelaire parents wrote in), that they were going to name their child Lemony if it was a boy? Well, I might have an answer. Perhaps this was not so, since they didn't end up naming Klaus Lemony, although he was a boy. Now, of course, they could have changed it to Klaus (another dead relative or family friend), but maybe Lemony put it in there because he wanted it to be like that?
Something else strange (that I'm not sure is significant) is that in LS to BB #1, Beatrice Jr. states that she is trying to find her family, so she is presumably living alone, yet she still has a bedtime. What could this mean?
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Post by smartalecks on Sept 16, 2008 17:38:59 GMT -5
Perhaps it just means the time she personally prefers to go to bed. Personally, the "Lemony Snicket is delusional" theory is, IMO, a delusion. Technically possible, but rather far-fetched.
Okay. As all of us know, there are three pure, possible, and significant anagrams of the letters in TBL: Beatrice Sank, A Brae Snicket, and Bear A Snicket. Often, it is argued that only the first was intentional. However, observe the following:
BEATRICE SANK
(The owner of TBL observes that it is highly likely that "Snicket" can be made out of these letters. First, he puts the A off to the side and moves the N next to the S.)
BEATRICE SN_K ________A
(Then he puts the I and C in the gap between N and K.)
BEATR _E SNICK ________A
(Then he puts the E (the second one on the end) and T after SNICK.)
BEA_R SNICKET ________A
You have "Bear", you have "A", and you have "Snicket". Which was, you know, *entirely* unintentional.
Also, I think it was pretty clear that the co-star was either supposed to be, was portraying, or simply was Lemony. Why else would My Silent Knot have anything to do with the play?
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Post by Dante on Sept 17, 2008 3:22:27 GMT -5
Perhaps it just means the time she personally prefers to go to bed. Personally, the "Lemony Snicket is delusional" theory is, IMO, a delusion. Technically possible, but rather far-fetched. I quite agree. For Beatrice's bedtime - well, she must have been nine, maybe, at the time of BB to LS #1. Even if the Baudelaires are gone, I'd have been very surprised if she'd been living alone for many years. I assumed she was staying in some kind of orphanage - possibly even a V.F.D. safe house of some kind, although she might not have known of the connection with the organisation. (It could even have been with the instructor mentioned in BB to LS #5 - if I recall correctly, it's unclear when she'd have met said tutor, although it was probably after she'd been to the V.F.D. boarding school.) I've recently been making the point, I think, that the other anagrams you cite besides "Beatrice Sank" may be intentional - intentional red herrings. Frankly, I think Handler only dug up the word "brae" for use in possible red herring anagrams. Still, worth a look at the other anagrams to see if there could be any meaning to them. Let's say that "A BRAE SNICKET" is, in fact, to be read as "Snicket a' brae" - i.e., Snicket is at the brae. I don't consider this to be much of a spoiler or secret, given that it's kinda related in TBL itself. Same case for "BEAR SNICKET A," or rather, "Bear a Snicket" - a reference to Kit and her soon-to-be-born baby, one presumes, but again, it's no secret that she's pregnant. I could see merit in it as foreshadowing of Beatrice the younger's true identity, as Kit's baby, but it's muddled by the fact she considers herself a Baudelaire. I still maintain that "BEATRICE SANK" is the only anagram that stands up to real scrutiny - although "A SNICKET BRAE/BEAR" conjures up appealing images of a hillock or large furry mammal topped with a jaunty fedora. Certainly, the co-star is playing the role of Lemony... from the reader's perspective. In the plot itself, if anything, Lemony is playing the role of the co-star. It's only years later that he starts living in a brae, his solitude more than just an act. The same is true of the play itself - it's based upon a story about two people, and it's fairly obvious it's about Lemony and Beatrice, especially with that title, but canonically it's unlikely for that to be the case. Only the reader could see the parallels. TBL thrives on this kind of metafictional confusion; it's why it's my favourite book. Incidentally, was it ever stated who wrote My Silence Knot, the play? I don't think it was, but I suggest "Linda Rhaldeen." Eh, as for the co-star's literal identity, their actor - can't be Lemony, as he's always watching the play, and cannot always follow where it goes. Count Olaf is, to me, not really an option - it would be strange if it were, for in LS to BB #5, Lemony openly rants about Count Olaf, and then his coded message is one of gentle suspicion of the co-star. It would be most strange if those two sentiments were against the same person - the coded message would be entirely redundant. As I suggested above, I think Bertrand is the most likely candidate - certainly, we've no evidence to link him to the theatre, but Lemony could plausibly be suspicious of his intentions towards Beatrice at the time she's engaged to him (Lemony), and of course he ends up being the co-star of Beatrice's life as her husband - the play could well have brought them closer together even as it took Lemony and Beatrice farther away.
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Post by smartalecks on Sept 17, 2008 17:21:34 GMT -5
Hmmm. Interesting interpretations of the play. I'm pretty sure Lemony was in the audience, in secret, particularly in the detailed way he describes his *non*-vision of the program.
This reminds me -- I have this theory that all the mentions of Ned R. Hrinfer or whoever, the ones that made us think the hints toward Beatrice being Beatrice Baudilaire were red herrings because it's an anagram of red herring, are THEMSELVES red herrings. As in, they plonk Ned R Herfinger in there and everybody thinks "Oh, it's a red herring, Beatrice can't be the Bauds' mother..."
Although the brae being intended as a red herring does sound very interesting.
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Post by Dante on Sept 19, 2008 10:00:51 GMT -5
"Ned H. Rirger," if I recall correctly. And that was my later thought, yes - that the red herrings were themselves red herrings, something that's arguably also the case in TEE. (Although I also suspect Handler changed his mind a couple of times about Beatrice's identity.)
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