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Post by Charlie on Apr 17, 2013 3:30:38 GMT -5
Yes That would be a whole explanation as to why he's so secretive with a seemingly really boring secret.
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Post by Hermes on Apr 17, 2013 10:33:35 GMT -5
I think 'No, but thank you for your concern' might be meant as an answer to 'Are you sure it is wise to answer this question?'. i.e. he is thanking us for our concern about the danger to which answering the question might expose him. That would liberate the plain 'No' for the librarian question. (It is a rather dull answer to that question, but hey, it has to go somewhere.)
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Q.R.V.
Formidable Foreman
Better paranoid than dead.
Posts: 149
Likes: 20
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Post by Q.R.V. on Apr 17, 2013 12:30:04 GMT -5
I looked up "Brugh" in the OED, with little success. Apparently it is an archaic or alternate form for (1) borrow, (2) burgh, (3) brough ("a luminous ring or circle around a shining body, esp. the moon"), (4) broch ("a structure of prehistoric times ... being a sort of round tower, having an outer and an inner wall of dry stone, the interstitial space containing little chambers for human habitation, while the open central area might be used for cattle"). It can also be a surname.
None of these really fit the questions, so I guess it is still best as a wordless exclamation responding to the wordless exclamation "Huh?".
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Post by bandit on Apr 17, 2013 13:34:10 GMT -5
Yes, I'm pretty sure it's just a more exaggerated "ugh."
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Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891
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Post by Antenora on Apr 17, 2013 15:27:53 GMT -5
It should be noted that Brugh is the original last name of a pseudonymous actor, who at one point appeared in a noir film (Johnny Eager). As noted here, noir allusions are quite prevalent in ATWQ, so it's entirely possible that "Brugh" could be another one.
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on Apr 18, 2013 1:16:14 GMT -5
I think that's reading too much into it. But a funny bit of information nevertheless.
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Post by Dante on Apr 18, 2013 1:38:31 GMT -5
I wouldn't be so dismissive. Handler's immersed himself in noir for the planning of ATWQ, and the series is jam-packed with obscure noir references. "Brugh" as a noir reference I find far more compelling a theory than the idea that he decided to provide a nonsense answer that bears only the most archaic resemblance to an irrelevant word and that it just happens to also be a noir reference by total coincidence.
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Post by bandit on Apr 18, 2013 15:34:00 GMT -5
I think, perhaps, that even if LS didn't actually mean for us to figure out the reference, he could leave that name as a reference to a future character in the series, who would in turn be a reference to that noir actor.
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Post by soufflé on Apr 18, 2013 15:48:22 GMT -5
Oooh yay he replied to all the questions. I think Sherry Ann's guesses are mostly right, aside from the correction Anka made.
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on Jul 6, 2013 21:36:26 GMT -5
I have just found the origin of, or reference to, Dr. Flammarion's name. The speculations as to what it alludes to have ranged from the French astronomer to a film title and its eponymous main character (while plausible, the name has a different spelling), but for me it now appears to be taken from another movie character. In the recent The Guardian Q&A (June 5th, 2013), Snicket has said: Now while there are several movies titled "Midnight," one even being a film noir, only one of them, however, is a comedy, which would fit the description of being cheery best. I haven't seen any of the movies yet, but I know that a film noir, by its very nature, could hardly be called 'cheery' in any way. So Snicket must have referred to the romantic/screwball comedy "Midnight" from 1939, which, I've discovered upon further research, has an important character (part of the main cast) called Madame Helene Flammarion. And even more interesting, the actress portraying the role of Madame Flammarion, Mary Astor, is most famous for playing alongside Humphrey Bogart in John Huston's famous 1941 adaptation of "The Maltese Falcon," which, as you may know, has heavily influenced the first book of the ATWQ series. It would make a lot of sense to me that this is where Handler has borrowed, in classic Snicket fashion, the name of the mysterious character of Dr. Flammarion.
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Post by bandit on Jul 6, 2013 22:40:45 GMT -5
The source of the name being The Great Flamarion wasn't speculation, Handler confirms it in the interview that Sherry Ann linked (at approximately 12 minutes).
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Post by Dante on Jul 7, 2013 2:27:32 GMT -5
Nonetheless, Handler may have been aware of the coincidence. It may be reaching a little to suggest that he was deliberately referencing another source of the name "Flammarion" to help highlight the kind of interconnections that run through his work, but it's certainly fitting.
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on Jul 7, 2013 10:09:43 GMT -5
Oh, apparently I've forgotten to listen to this interview in full, so I missed that, sorry. Thanks for the clarification, Bandit. Then I guess The Great Flamarion was indeed a source of the inspiration, but I agree with your notion, Dante. Considering that Handler (as Snicket) has also stated that he's seen and liked 'Midnight,' as well as the spelling of the name in ATWQ, (and maybe both ATWQ and Midnight's connection to The Maltese Falcon as well,) I would nevertheless add 'Midnight' as a second/secondary source of inspiration for the name.
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