Characters: Important and not

[colette]

Here are questions.
1.Which characters from all 13 books of series do you think are unimportant, useless for the plot and could be omitted? Which characters do you think don't make any sense in the series?
2. Which characters do you think are very interesting but too unexplored and would like to read about them more than in canon?

I want to know your opinions!

[Dante]

I don't have much time to comment on the subject right now, but what I think is interesting is that many characters who we think of as "important" only appear in one book - Quigley, most significantly. And then there are quite a few minor characters who appear in two books by virtue of reappearing in TPP. As such, it was wise of you to add the "unexplored" caveat, as "screentime," if you like, is no indicator of character importance.

[The Secretary]

An interesting question. I don't think there are any essentially useless characters in the series after rereading it, however. Even if they are minor they are involved in the VFD or have an impact on the Baudelaire's lives in some way or another. For instance, the convenience shop owner in Book the Eighth, The Hostile Hospital.

And I would like to hear more about all of the Quagmire triplets, definitely. They deserve their own Series of Unfortunate Events.

[Old Swinburne]

I think half the charm of ASOUE is that there is a myriad of characters who may or may not be connected with VFD- look at the islanders, or the people in the Hotel Denouement. It gives a wonderful connectivity to the series.
And, of course, it's good for fanfiction

[ruru492]

I really want to learn more about the Snickets and the Quagmires, and I think it should tell you a little more about Dewey Denouement.

[Becca]

^agreed

I really want to know more about Beatrice as well..like I want that book mentioned in TBL explaining why Beatrice couldn't marry Lemony to be released

[Anka]

Yes, that book would be cool. But maybe we would also be disappointed if we knew more about her.

[bandit]

It would probably be more like that transcript that's in TUA, actually; 200 pages of incomprehensible references to different made-up events and VFD members.

[Becca]

^true. but a lot of them you can kind of guess but also some of them are just what. like R...

[Dante]

I think that LS to BB #5 in The Beatrice Letters is probably the closest we'll ever get to knowing what the infamous two hundred page letter was like, and as bandit says, it is indeed highly obtuse. On the other hand, I think if Handler had wanted to, he could easily have written quite a few books of short stories about secondary characters in the series - perhaps a book about the backstories of all thirteen guardians, one per chapter?

[Charlie]

Oh god. I want that book now.

[friendofvfd]

"perhaps a book about the backstories of all thirteen guardians, one per chapter?"

Oh, I would so buy that book!
I really can't think of any character as being "useless". As others on here have said, every character is in some way connected to the Baudelaire's, in more interesting ways than one.
I would like to read more backstory on the Quagmire's, in particular Quigley. To me it would be very interesting to know about his actual journey, from the time his house went up in flames to when he finally meets the Baudelaire's. And I would like to know what really happened when he lost connect with the trio in the stricken stream.

I would actually like to know more about the Denouement's as well.

[Dante]

A lot of stories about other characters wouldn't necessarily make good series, but would make good single spin-off books and side-stories in collections. It's a practice that you do get from other authors, too, and it seems to fit Handler's view of his world quite well. I hope he takes up the idea sometime.

[Charlie]

Maybe we should tell him this sometime