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Post by mizbizsav on Apr 21, 2017 11:33:56 GMT -5
In a livestream Daniel Handler did yesterday, he confirmed that the answer to what the S stands for can be found in the final ATWQ book, and that he's always delighted when readers send him letters when they've figured it out.
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Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Apr 21, 2017 18:44:06 GMT -5
Sandwich.
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Post by Agathological on Apr 23, 2017 8:58:43 GMT -5
In a livestream Daniel Handler did yesterday, he confirmed that the answer to what the S stands for can be found in the final ATWQ book, and that he's always delighted when readers send him letters when they've figured it out. Link?
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Post by Dante on Apr 23, 2017 9:58:58 GMT -5
You've already read it by now, but I'll quote for the general benefit: Alekzandr Sánchez asks “What's the ‘S.’ in ‘S. Theodora Markson’ stand for?” The answer is actually in the final volume of All The Wrong Questions, and it charms me very much when people figure it out and write me a letter telling me so.
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Post by Jacques Snicket on May 20, 2017 15:37:26 GMT -5
Sensible (one of those Puritan-style names, like Credence Barebone, I wonder if Newt Scamander had any dealings with a Bombinating Beast, as that would be right up his magical suitcase)? Something. Snicket (how's that for a first name?). She. Sally. Sharon. Stain'd? Stain'd-by-the-Sea? Certainly not Stew. Sallis. Stannis? (just kidding), Shirley (as in "Surely there's an explanation for this..."), Sherlock? Skeletonkey? Solitude. Sunny would be the most direct callback...
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Post by Charlie on May 20, 2017 19:51:45 GMT -5
... Snicket?
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Post by Dante on May 21, 2017 3:53:54 GMT -5
Unlikely, but instantly obvious why she wouldn't want to share it with this particular apprentice, in which sense it's one of the better suggestions.
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on May 21, 2017 12:26:59 GMT -5
Damn, every time I see this thread it makes me think about the question, and this time I thought, maybe the S. in her name is actually just a letter in a numbering/classification system used for ranking the chaperones. Theodora is 52nd in a list of 52 chaperones, so maybe "52 S." is actually a code/classification for something, rather than an initial. Theodora being her first name makes sense, but I admit that it would be slightly odd that she'd introduce herself as "S. Theodora Markson"; still, it might be a VFD regulation that requires her to do so. Considering Handler has incorporated classification systems in the ASoUE-verse before, with the Dewey Decimal System, I thought this might be something worth looking into. Or it might point someone else in the right direction. I've made a little research whether the number 52 might lead me onto anything, but not much luck. The only possibly significant things I could find were: - There are 52 white keys on a piano - There are 52 cards in a standard deck of playing cards, not counting Jokers. - There are 52 characters in the modern Latin (i.e. also English) alphabet (incl. both upper- and lowercase). S would be the 37th letter in that alphabet. - 52 is the 6th Bell number. Theodora always knocks and rings the bell 6 times.
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Post by Hermes on May 21, 2017 12:44:36 GMT -5
The pack of cards is surely relevant, as are the weeks in a year, but one significant fact is that 52 (being 4*13) is the number of chapters in ATWQ (main series).
DH has said that it's in the text. It's not clear just how widely 'the text' extends - I suppose we have to accept that 'Snicket' is in the text. Though 'Solitude' still seems the obvious answer to me.
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Post by Reba on May 21, 2017 13:10:25 GMT -5
in that facebook interview i think he narrowed it down from the text to ?4
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Post by Charlie on May 21, 2017 18:32:06 GMT -5
Adding onto what terry was saying: - Ellen degeneres was 52 a few years ago - 52 times 2 is 104 - S kinda looks like a 5 and backwards kinda looks like a 2 - 5+2=7, s=19 in the alphabet, 19+7=26, 26×2=52 !!!! - fifty-two has a dash in the middle, just like how sometimes people dash to get on boats. Sailing starts with S. Ergo her name is Sailing Theodora Markson
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on May 21, 2017 19:22:15 GMT -5
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on Sept 24, 2017 15:11:28 GMT -5
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Post by Grace on Nov 7, 2017 13:42:33 GMT -5
I'd have to reread, but I'd expect to find it hidden in one of the moments where Lemony asks her what the S stands for, and he unknowingly gets it right.
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Post by R. on Sept 12, 2020 5:15:48 GMT -5
I definitely think it’s Solitude. It just seems the clearest hinted-at-in-canon answer, and suitably Snickety
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