berg8793
Reptile Researcher
The world may be quiet here...but is it quiet somewhere else?
Posts: 36
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Post by berg8793 on Jun 20, 2009 13:06:15 GMT -5
In the beginning illustration of TPP, there is a stranger carrying an envelope with the following:
J.S.
Hotel D-
New Cara-----ary
Columni-
The reason for the dashes is that his hand covers up those parts. But I think I've figured out what it is! The address is:
J.S.
Hotel Denouement (obviously)
New Caravansary
Columnist
"Caravansary" is "a particularly large inn or hostelry," according to my dictionary. I'm not sure if this address is a reference to the location of the series, or whether it means something else. My guess is that it could have something to do with TDP and that J.S. was a writer in the real estate column, making him a "new caravansary columnist." But other than that, I have no ideas. Please discuss!
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Post by Dante on Jun 20, 2009 15:01:17 GMT -5
Let me check this out on my copy.
Okay. The interesting thing about the "J.S." is that, judging from the alignment, the S might even go into a full surname - the sleeve also covers up the place where a period marker is, but the J.S is off-centre enough to make it look as though there's a surname there, although in reality this may just be so that we can see the initials at all. Since the remainder of the text is left-aligned, it actually looks very odd.
"New Caravansary" could indicate that the hotel is in its own sort of district where there may be multiple hotel-related businesses. However, judging from the size of the letters already written, I think that "avans" is too small to fill that gap. We can't see enough of the second "A" to even be sure it's an A - it could be another R, for example. However, since Helquist probably came up with the text himself, it may be that "Caravansary" is just a relevant piece of text he added in to pad out the address.
"Column" - again, I don't think there's enough of the I to be sure it's an I - all we've really got is one black line, it could be a new word or a number. Strangely, on the other side of the hand from that line there's a horizontal underscore which looks like part of the type, although it wouldn't actually fit with the contents.
I'm not too worried about this, and I think the address was probably just Helquist's own idea for something mysterious; there might not even be a real answer, but it looks like he was at least thinking of something.
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kimoz17
Reptile Researcher
Well, young lady, have you been good to your mother?
Posts: 35 
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Post by kimoz17 on May 30, 2012 1:16:13 GMT -5
I'm not too worried about this, and I think the address was probably just Helquist's own idea for something mysterious; there might not even be a real answer, but it looks like he was at least thinking of something. Don't you think Lemony and Mr. Brett Helquist talk about what should be in the illustrations? I mean, in every book, the final image is always associated or gives a clue to the next book. And judging from Daniel Handler's other works, namely "13 Words" and "Why We Broke Up", he really coordinates with the illustrator. I don't think Lemony will allow an irrelevant or misleading detail in the illustration to be printed in book just because Mr. Helquist thought it to be "mysterious". Just my opinion, btw. :)) |
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Post by Dante on May 30, 2012 2:06:49 GMT -5
Don't you think Lemony and Mr. Brett Helquist talk about what should be in the illustrations? I mean, in every book, the final image is always associated or gives a clue to the next book. And judging from Daniel Handler's other works, namely "13 Words" and "Why We Broke Up", he really coordinates with the illustrator. I don't think Lemony will allow an irrelevant or misleading detail in the illustration to be printed in book just because Mr. Helquist thought it to be "mysterious". Just my opinion, btw. :)) I remember an interview a while back in which Handler said that he didn't have much choice about what would be in the illustrations, and another in which it was said that the illustrations wouldn't be drawn until after he'd finished the whole book. In addition, if you look at the first four books, the details about the next book hidden in the final illustration could have been borrowed directly from the Kind Editor letters. I do think that Helquist and Handler must have eventually collaborated on what clues would be available for those final images, but there's no evidence for them having worked closely together; Handler's close collaboration with Maira Kalman on 13W and WWBU is unusual for him in that he went into those projects specifically as collaborations with a certain illustrator and the story was based around that (ditto the likes of The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, for which the illustrator is his wife). Finally, you have to consider, as I noted above, the fact that the address on the envelope was never mentioned in any text and was never important. Chances are, therefore, that it was Helquist's idea. As to Handler allowing Helquist to print irrelevant or misleading details, if you look closely you can actually find quite a lot of such details - for example, Olaf's eye tattoo is wrong in an illustration in TSS, and the illustrations on The Complete Wreck get some features of Olaf's disguises wrong too. |
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kimoz17
Reptile Researcher
Well, young lady, have you been good to your mother?
Posts: 35
Likes: 1
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Post by kimoz17 on May 30, 2012 3:00:28 GMT -5
Don't you think Lemony and Mr. Brett Helquist talk about what should be in the illustrations? I mean, in every book, the final image is always associated or gives a clue to the next book. And judging from Daniel Handler's other works, namely "13 Words" and "Why We Broke Up", he really coordinates with the illustrator. I don't think Lemony will allow an irrelevant or misleading detail in the illustration to be printed in book just because Mr. Helquist thought it to be "mysterious". Just my opinion, btw. :)) I remember an interview a while back in which Handler said that he didn't have much choice about what would be in the illustrations, and another in which it was said that the illustrations wouldn't be drawn until after he'd finished the whole book. In addition, if you look at the first four books, the details about the next book hidden in the final illustration could have been borrowed directly from the Kind Editor letters. I do think that Helquist and Handler must have eventually collaborated on what clues would be available for those final images, but there's no evidence for them having worked closely together; Handler's close collaboration with Maira Kalman on 13W and WWBU is unusual for him in that he went into those projects specifically as collaborations with a certain illustrator and the story was based around that (ditto the likes of The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, for which the illustrator is his wife). Finally, you have to consider, as I noted above, the fact that the address on the envelope was never mentioned in any text and was never important. Chances are, therefore, that it was Helquist's idea. As to Handler allowing Helquist to print irrelevant or misleading details, if you look closely you can actually find quite a lot of such details - for example, Olaf's eye tattoo is wrong in an illustration in TSS, and the illustrations on The Complete Wreck get some features of Olaf's disguises wrong too. Oh, well. I guess we'll never know until Lemony confirms or denies it himself. :)) |
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Post by Groge on May 30, 2012 7:26:27 GMT -5
From reading all of the opinions above I believe that its just text because there needs to be. I don't think it means anything and are just random words. The fact that the hand is covering it is because that's how that guy carries his envelopes! Obviously there are clues in the end illustrations but i don't think there is any relevance to this in particular. Maybe he put it there just for us to debate!
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kimoz17
Reptile Researcher
Well, young lady, have you been good to your mother?
Posts: 35
Likes: 1
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Post by kimoz17 on May 30, 2012 10:05:31 GMT -5
From reading all of the opinions above I believe that its just text because there needs to be. I don't think it means anything and are just random words. The fact that the hand is covering it is because that's how that guy carries his envelopes! Obviously there are clues in the end illustrations but i don't think there is any relevance to this in particular. Maybe he put it there just for us to debate! Hahahaha  LOL |
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Post by Hermes on May 30, 2012 10:19:41 GMT -5
From reading all of the opinions above I believe that its just text because there needs to be. I don't think it means anything and are just random words. The fact that the hand is covering it is because that's how that guy carries his envelopes! Obviously there are clues in the end illustrations but i don't think there is any relevance to this in particular. Maybe he put it there just for us to debate! Well, 667 was up by the time TPP came out, and indeed at that time there were other discussion boards as well. So, who knows. |
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Post by Christmas Chief on May 30, 2012 15:39:55 GMT -5
There is one detail the illustrations get correct but the text doesn't, which I remember someone mentioning before: The Baudelaires leave their concierge glasses behind in the middle of TPP, and indeed they're never depicted wearing them again. The text, however, brings the glasses back in TE where they are washed up on shore of the island.
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