looneylad
Catastrophic Captain
Ta-daaaaa!
Posts: 62
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Post by looneylad on Jan 7, 2010 21:35:05 GMT -5
Throughout TTG, a poet named Edgar Guest is referenced multiple times. The book states that he was a poet of limited ability and used over sentimental topics. His picture is worn by Count Olaf and his crew on the Carmelita.
Just now, I decided to read some of Edgar Guest's work. Indeed it is very simplistic and it's easy to tell that he is reaching for the sentimental topics. But his poetry is very warm spirited and bright, and to me, he seems like a very noble person. I think it is very unfair for him to represent a group of villains.
What do you think?
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Bibaraguroria
Reptile Researcher
The Tony Head fetishist.
Posts: 39
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Post by Bibaraguroria on Jan 8, 2010 1:27:08 GMT -5
I think it all depends on what type of poetry you prefer. For instance, I favor more complicated, macabre poetry to simplistic and upbeat prose, so Edgar Guest is really not for me. I'm guessing Handler has a taste similar to mine, so I suppose it makes sense he would portray Guest in a negative light.
That being said, I would not call Guest a villainous person, however untalented I think he is, and it does seem a bit unfair.
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Post by Dante on Jan 8, 2010 3:13:09 GMT -5
To what degree this excessive dislike of Edgar Guest is Snicket's rather than Handler's is debateable; his poetry may well be rather too twee for either of them, but TGG really goes over the top. I think that, in the same way some authors face seemingly excessive praise in aSoUE - the same book, TGG, really raves about Herman Melville - then some others are going to suffer. They don't need to be especially great or especially terrible; if Handler likes them or thinks they're important, he'll use them one way, and if he doesn't, he'll use them another way.
Incidentally, Mr. Poe's children are named Edgar and Albert, which are the first names of Edgar Guest, so some people think Poe's children are references to Guest rather than to the full name of Edgar Allan Poe.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jan 8, 2010 6:22:32 GMT -5
I think Handler used these two poets to help give a visual metaphor between the differences between the Baudelaires and Olaf. Throughout TGG, he reminds us of Melville's noble work, and how, quote, "Edgar Guest is a writer limited skill, who writes awkward, tedious poetry on hopelessly sentimental topics." and I think the reason for that is so he could help build up to Fernald's simile. Instead of piecing together feelings and thoughts and morals, you can just mix two poets who supposedly sum up those three things. Fernald reminds us how the Baudelaires and Olaf aren't really that different, and the only dissimilarity was the portraits on their uniforms, in which Klaus says: "We're wearing Herman Melville... He was a writer of enormous talent... and I'm proud to display his portrait. But you're wearing Edgar Guest. He was a writer of limited skill... You ought to be ashamed of yourself." By contrasting these two characters, Handler is developing the Baudelaires with not their actions, but their ethical complexity.
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Post by Isadora on Feb 22, 2010 7:36:17 GMT -5
By contrasting these two characters, Handler is developing the Baudelaires with not their actions, but their ethical complexity. Interesting...
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