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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 1, 2012 14:26:11 GMT -5
I agree about the style: A little darker, a little more mature. Snicket's quite different as a first person narrator. In ASOUE, we got glimpses of his life, and now that we have an extended series it's as though these glimpses are stretched into the full story. We know now where Lemony got his "which here means" habit. It read to me as if he were responding sarcastically to Theadora by using her turn of phrase, rather than have invented it himself. Theadora herself is not only straightforward but also a bit of a hypocrite ("Don’t repeat yourself. It’s not only repetitive, it’s redundant, and people have heard it before."). This is to a humorous effect, of course. I'm also intrigued by this introductory letter; someone had written it for him, apparently, with the instructions not to read it? And it seems V.F.D. has a history of people escaping via suspicious vehicle.
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Post by Dante on Jun 1, 2012 14:27:15 GMT -5
The meeting between Snicket and Markson has already been planned, it seems, so who are the couple posing as his parents? I assume they're supposedly volunteers escorting him to his next assignment, when in fact they're villains trying to steal him away. Hence the laudanum and the need for a stealthier escape.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 1, 2012 14:29:32 GMT -5
I've given the town name it's own thread, since it's not strictly speaking part of Chapter One. Is it not a matter for Perilous Places, then, since the section now applies to both series? I concur, Ellington Feint is a good choice for the identity of the girl from the first line. Edit: The meeting between Snicket and Markson has already been planned, it seems, so who are the couple posing as his parents? I assume they're supposedly volunteers escorting him to his next assignment, when in fact they're villains trying to steal him away. Hence the laudanum and the need for a stealthier escape. I was taken aback by the demeanor of his "parents" in the beginning of the chapter, actually. The cheerfulness and lack of communication between the pair was suspicious, but not a giveaway, which I thought a good set-up. Edit Again: By the by, the Scribd page isn't loading for me. So, many thanks for typing it, Dante; I assure you your efforts were worthwhile, especially if others experience the same issue.
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Post by Dante on Jun 1, 2012 14:42:12 GMT -5
I've given the town name it's own thread, since it's not strictly speaking part of Chapter One. Is it not a matter for Perilous Places, then, since the section now applies to both series? Tricky, as there's debateably a spoiler issue at work, and since it doesn't affect ASoUE at present, I figured it'd be safe to leave it here for the moment.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 1, 2012 14:47:17 GMT -5
Ah, I read "both" as "either," rather than "in conjunction with." On spoilers, though: Does this chapter count as one outside this thread?
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Post by Hermes on Jun 1, 2012 15:08:45 GMT -5
Oo! Oo! Oo!
Well, people have said most of the things I might have said, but just one thing: he has just graduated. What does one graduate from at the age of twelve? I had rather assumed that the school he was at at eleven - where he met Beatrice - was the same one he stayed at till he was eighteen; but I now realise I was making British assumptions there.
Also, it's odd that Theodora thinks the people he was with were his parents.
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Post by Dante on Jun 1, 2012 15:09:50 GMT -5
Ah, I read "both" as "either," rather than "in conjunction with." On spoilers, though: Does this chapter count as one outside this thread? I don't really think so - my position is that something isn't a spoiler if it's officially released. But I think it's sensible to keep information localised for a while so that everyone becomes aware of it and knows what we're talking about before the information starts filtering out into discussion elsewhere. Rather than immediately yammering about Stain'd By The Sea in say The Trouble Begins and risking people looking at that and wondering what on Earth is being talked about. I will, naturally, implement a proper spoiler policy near the time when the actual book comes out, of course. Edit: Hermes has a point - S. Theodora thought Lemony's parents were suspicious; he clearly agreed, as indicated by the reference to the large-shouldered man (his false father) possibly forcing open the stall. But Lemony knew that they weren't his parents. So it seems that there's some lack of communication here. I imagine it'll be cleared up a bit in later chapters - maybe even in the second chapter. That's what often happens when you start in media res; shortly afterwards, the story rewinds a bit.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jun 1, 2012 15:16:33 GMT -5
What does one graduate from at the age of twelve? I had rather assumed that the school he was at at eleven - where he met Beatrice - was the same one he stayed at till he was eighteen; but I now realise I was making British assumptions there. I had thought that, if he were kidnapped earlier than most, he would also graduate sooner.
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Post by Hermes on Jun 1, 2012 15:18:39 GMT -5
Ho, nice thought! So, you just do ten years of schooling, and then you leave, no matter what age you start at? Could well be.
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Post by dewofheaven on Jun 1, 2012 19:06:55 GMT -5
Ho, nice thought! So, you just do ten years of schooling, and then you leave, no matter what age you start at? Could well be. I like that-- it would make a lot of sense, both for training purposes and for filling in plot holes. My first thought though, when I saw that he was thirteen, was that (aside from being the usual reference to 13 as unlucky) it was a reference to bar mitzvah -- the Jewish coming of age for boys -- which happens at age thirteen. ASOUE had a ton of Jewish references, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's thirteen because he's beginning a new phase in his life-- growing up, as it were.
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Post by KlausBaudelaire833 on Jun 1, 2012 21:42:19 GMT -5
I would rather wait for the book to come out. It would add to the suspense.
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Post by C. on Jun 1, 2012 22:33:55 GMT -5
Ah, I read "both" as "either," rather than "in conjunction with." On spoilers, though: Does this chapter count as one outside this thread? I don't really think so - my position is that something isn't a spoiler if it's officially released. But I think it's sensible to keep information localised for a while so that everyone becomes aware of it and knows what we're talking about before the information starts filtering out into discussion elsewhere. Rather than immediately yammering about Stain'd By The Sea in say The Trouble Begins and risking people looking at that and wondering what on Earth is being talked about. I will, naturally, implement a proper spoiler policy near the time when the actual book comes out, of course. Edit: Hermes has a point - S. Theodora thought Lemony's parents were suspicious; he clearly agreed, as indicated by the reference to the large-shouldered man (his false father) possibly forcing open the stall. But Lemony knew that they weren't his parents. So it seems that there's some lack of communication here. I imagine it'll be cleared up a bit in later chapters - maybe even in the second chapter. That's what often happens when you start in media res; shortly afterwards, the story rewinds a bit. Yes, I noticed that too. I wonder if it was intentional or not, because at times it seems like he is saying they are his parents and then (obviously) he's saying they aren't. It seems like he is trying to confuse us almost. When I saw the S. I immediately thought of Sally Sebald for some reason. S. Theodora Markson seems like it definitely is some coded name or a pseudonym of some sort. Maybe the S. is the important part and not the other parts of the name. I looked up famous Theodoras and they are all Empresses or royalty of some sort. For Markson, there is a David Markson who is a novelist and is known for his unconventional approach to plot and narration. Just a thought.
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Post by bryan on Jun 1, 2012 22:44:26 GMT -5
Having had time to mull it over, this story already seems a little bit darker, willing to get its hands a bit more dirty. There's a touch more realism to the description, I think, and our hero isn't quite so much of a cipher as the Baudelaires were. I agree. I think it's because unlike with Asoue, he kind of already knows that there will be an audience for this sort of thing. I like the adjustment to writing style too. It's still clever Snicket, but with added realism and detail.
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Post by Dante on Jun 2, 2012 1:35:47 GMT -5
I would rather wait for the book to come out. It would add to the suspense. I respect that opinion, and while you will inevitably learn details about this chapter as they seep out into the community, the experience of reading is quite different from simply knowing what happens. (Even though you probably won't be reading this post, either.)
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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 Jun 2, 2012 7:18:24 GMT -5
Oooohhh! I love the first chapter! The writing style was different, a little more straightforward type of narration. Nevertheless, I still love it! Can't wait for October! I wonder if the font size will be similar to ASOUE, I hope not. With 270 pages, I hope the font size will be similar to normal novels. Thank you Dante for transcribing!
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