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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Mar 13, 2019 13:27:26 GMT -5
My favorite excerpts from this book:
J: I'll go someplace and hide away, and never show my face! You can tell him I'm dead! You can have the children!"
O: "You have a point, I do not necessarily have to kill you. People just have to think that you're dead."
J: "I'll change my name! I'll dye my hair! I'll wear colored lenses! And I'll go very, very far away! Nobody will ever hear from me!"
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 13, 2019 18:14:24 GMT -5
Aunt Josephine indicates she and Ike were scared together, but this is very different in the adaptations. But maybe she and Ike were too scared to have children, in case they were inducted into VFD while they were young? This could mean another reason why Josephine wants to take in the Baudelaires, to protect them from VFD. I like that idea. Of course, Josephine is too wrapped up in her fears to actually achieve this goal. I think there's a definite contrast between the Baudelaires' room at Josephine's and their room at Olaf's; at Olaf's house, the implication is that he has crammed them in one room despite having more space, while Josephine only seems to have two bedrooms in her house. There's also an emphasis here on the children having decent beds, while Olaf only gave them one between the three of them.Yeah, I thought that as well. Chapter Four
Again, I think Josephine is trying to convince herself that she can take Olaf at face value here, even though deep down she knows it's not true. It's also possible she's trying to convince the children that Captain Sham is who he says he is because she thinks if they believe her, he won't come after them. Lemony's bit about business cards never fails to make me laugh. 'Just because something is typed - whether it is typed on a business card or typed in a newspaper or book - this does not mean that it is true.' (p57) This could be seen as setting up the unreliability of TDP. '"Ike almost always answered [the phone]," Aunt Josephine said, "and he used a special glove for safety,"' (p59-60) This contradicts the idea, present in both the film and the Netflix series, and even SYBIS, that Josephine was once brave, although we can resolve the discrepancy from ATWQ by saying that, like Lemony, her actions in her youth have paralysed her with fear now she's older. I think this is one of the first indications that Violet and Klaus can understand Sunny-speak. '"[Uncle Monty] let Count Olaf move right into the house."' (p63) Not really. Monty hired a lab assistant to move into the house when he had absolutely no way of knowing it would turn out to be Olaf, then, regardless of whether or not he recognised Olaf, he was suspicious of him, and probably wouldn't have let him stay in the house for much longer if he hadn't been murdered. Is Gina-Sue the socialist a reference to something? It seems oddly specific if not, but I can't think of what it would be. Also, I'm not sure "you can't lock up the barn after the horses are gone" really means "sometimes the best of plans will occur to you when it is too late." I'd usually use it to mean "you can't go back on something you've already said you'd do", anyway. Chapter Five
I like how Violet and Klaus fight here. It was probably a good idea on Handler's part not to make them get along all the time. I've just realised a problem with the Baudelaires' 'forgery' theory I'd never noticed before. Olaf was never actually in the house, right? He just told Josephine what to do over the phone. Surely the children would have noticed if he'd been there, and, if he had, how would he have left without them seeing him? 'I wish now that I had the power to go back in time and speak to these three sobbing children.' (p80) If Lemony were the taxi driver, it makes sense that he would retroactively regret not helping the Baudelaires more. |
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Post by Foxy on Mar 13, 2019 19:26:16 GMT -5
So Aunt Josephine lost Ike recently? The rest of the book indicates it was a long time ago. I'd always placed it after the poison dart incident, so somewhere in the fifteen years between that and this. But the children remember their parents coming home from the opera that night, which means that night at the opera happened while Sunny was alive. It had to have happened within the past two years. I agree with you here. There are times where the kids sound a little spoiled. I know they miss their parents, but this was still one thousand times better than living with Count Olaf... until Josephine sold them out, but that hadn't happened yet! Is Gina-Sue the socialist a reference to something? It seems oddly specific if not, but I can't think of what it would be. Also, I'm not sure "you can't lock up the barn after the horses are gone" really means "sometimes the best of plans will occur to you when it is too late." I'd usually use it to mean "you can't go back on something you've already said you'd do", anyway. I wonder if Gina-Sue is the G person who wrote the letter to Genius in TUA. I take the phrase to mean the Baudelaires were too late to take care of Aunt Josephine because she already pretended to throw herself out a window. Again, why didn't the police come to search for the body? Because it wouldn't help the fictional plot, I know. How did Klaus not notice someone sneak into their room at Olaf's house and take Sunny? Olaf and his associates are sneaky. |
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 14, 2019 12:49:55 GMT -5
How did Klaus not notice someone sneak into their room at Olaf's house and take Sunny? Olaf and his associates are sneaky. When the Baudelaires find Josephine, she tells them that Olaf told her to write the will over the phone. Still, you're right, Olaf is capable of sneaking around unnoticed, so it probably was sensible to consider that Josephine's note might have been forged by him. Chapter Six
Comparing the handwriting of the letter with something Josephine has written is a clever suggestion on Poe's part. He does have some good ideas when he's actually bothered to think of them, he just doesn't care enough most of the time. So, Josephine's will transcends that of the Baudelaire parents? This makes more sense if Poe knows VFD exists and assumes Sham to be the next chaperone Josephine has chosen. Chapter Seven
Despite Lemony's description of how terrible The Anxious Clown is, the illustration of the Cheer-up Cheeseburger has always made me want to eat there. With the Netflix adaptation in mind it's hard to remember how minor of a character Larry actually was in the books. 'Captain Sham resembled the chameleon in that he was chameleonic, a word means "able to blend in with any situation."' (p97) First of all, this must be a typo - presumably it was meant to say 'a word which here means' instead of just 'a word means'. Secondly, this is a good description of the way Olaf is always able to manipulate his audience. '"It does only seem like yesterday," Captain Sham said, "but it was really years ago. She and I met in cooking school. We were oven partners in the Advanced Baking Course."' (p97) Might there be any truth in this? VFD does seem to teach cooking to its members. Larry saying "I didn't realise this was a sad occasion' seems contextually appropriate, but I love the way Handler integrated throwaway details from the early books and turned them into part of the conspiracy. Also, does this mean Larry has a message for the Bauds? Maybe he's trying to help them escape on the Prospero. If that's the case, it seems strange that he wouldn't try and get their attention in any other way, considering that they obviously missed the code, but being overly enamoured of secrecy to the point of not actually helping anybody seems to be somewhat of a feature for VFD members in this series. The way Olaf talks to Larry could fit in with the idea that they know each other. The phrase 'at last he was gone' on page 99 suggests Larry was hanging around for a while, maybe waiting for the Baudelaires to respond to the code. 'If you are allergic to a thing, it is bet not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats.' (p102) Words to live by. This might just be the funniest Lemony-ism in the whole series. |
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Post by veryferociousdrama on Mar 14, 2019 15:28:24 GMT -5
@carrie: Yes, I was thinking the same with the sneaking around. I expect probably the White-Faced Women probably help with that aspect. Foxy: Right you are, I was getting muddled with the series. I basically meant the fifteen years between Lemony's faked death and the events of the series. Notes on Chapters Four to Seven. Lemony's little anecdote about the castle and the fake business cards sounds very VFD-esque. A Volunteer disguise that went wrong? Hours and hours? What were Captain Sham and Aunt Josephine doing all that time? Especially as they were only talking by phone. Sham probably dictated the message, but giving his somewhat lack of literary skills, this may have taken some time. Did any of the incorrect grammar stem from him, and Josephine used it to her advantage? Quick note on timing. So Sham phoned just after dinner, which was presumably around 7 o'clock, and hours and hours sound like it was the early hours of the morning when Josephine jumped out of the window. Presumably Violet would have phoned Poe at his office, but if it was at that time, probably at his home. Violet and Klaus' arguing is a rare occasion of real life sibling rivalry. They certainly seem more distressed at the death of Josephine than Uncle Monty. Do they feel survivor's guilt, thinking they could and should have done more? Poe's suggestion of an investigation is an uncharacteristically good idea of his. Being a banker, he presumably would have been trained to tell basic signs of forgery. This supports the theory raised here earlier that he was a family friend because of his professional skills, and that he's a good banker, but not good with people. So I believe the will given to Poe is maybe a fake one, written by a Villain. Why? Because I believe that Beatrice and Bertrand would have named somebody, IE Monty, if "Josephine" did it. So what's Olaf been doing overnight? If he's acquired a sailboat rental company, are he and the Henchperson sleeping there? Or is he preparing for the next stage? So, it seems to me that the Anxious Clown is a VFD restaurant. It's hard to place Larry on either side of the Schism, as he doesn't seem to be assisting either side. He could be "observing", or he's impartial, a bit like Olivia. How does Sunny know she's allergic to peppermints, if she's never had one? Unless she was somehow diagnosed from a young age. |
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Post by Dante on Mar 14, 2019 17:19:02 GMT -5
So, Josephine's will transcends that of the Baudelaire parents? This makes more sense if Poe knows VFD exists and assumes Sham to be the next chaperone Josephine has chosen. A few people have mentioned this in the past, but it has never struck me as odd. It seems natural to me that the guardians under the Baudelaire will are assigned the same rights and responsibilities as regards to the children as the Baudelaire parents; they are not envisaged as serial but as an end point, and so have the same authority to direct the children's subsequent care under their own will as the Baudelaire parents' did. In other words, the Baudelaire will is a fallback option when a guardianship falls through. Further volumes of the series make very clear that the Baudelaires' present legal guardians always have the power to designate a new legal guardian; this is the foundation of Olaf's plans in TMM and TAA also. Maybe Larry was unsure whether the Baudelaire children were inducted into V.F.D., and was putting out feelers, as it were. When he didn't get a response, he might have assumed that either what was going on was not a V.F.D. matter, or that the Baudelaire children did not require his assistance. Hours and hours? What were Captain Sham and Aunt Josephine doing all that time? Especially as they were only talking by phone. Sham probably dictated the message, but giving his somewhat lack of literary skills, this may have taken some time. Did any of the incorrect grammar stem from him, and Josephine used it to her advantage? More timing issues - but now that you point this out, it seems the most Josephine thing in the world to be correcting Olaf's grammar even as he dictates, and she accepts, what is effectively her death warrant! Actually, rereading her confession in Chapter Ten, the circumstances seem rather confused. Josephine claims (p. 157) that Olaf abruptly dropped his disguise and threatened to kill her unless she wrote a will leaving the children in his care, and she agreed - but what did she think was going to happen afterwards? In any case, what she actually writes is not just a will but also a suicide note, and then she fakes her death, which wasn't part of Olaf's plan but happens to suit him perfectly. It almost seems like Josephine anticipated Olaf's likely true plan (of murdering her anyway after she wrote out the will), and decided to use it to trick him into believing he wouldn't have to bother - which is unexpectedly calculating of her. But she doesn't exactly say this. On page 4, Snicket translates Sunny's commentary on peppermints ("Toi!") as "I have never eaten a peppermint because I suspect that I, like my siblings, am allergic to them" - or alternatively (pp. 4-5), "I wish I could bite a peppermint, because I like to bite things with my four sharp teeth, but I don't want to risk an allergic reaction." In other words, Sunny was made aware at a very early age that her siblings were allergic to peppermints, and understands that she is at risk of the same reaction. |
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 15, 2019 5:12:34 GMT -5
Hours and hours? What were Captain Sham and Aunt Josephine doing all that time? Especially as they were only talking by phone. The timing is especially confusing once they start to sail across the lake. TUA implies that The Anxious Clown is on the 'volunteer' side of the schism. I think Larry is trying to help the Baudelaires, he just doesn't do it very effectively. Chapter Eight
Would Klaus need to do that much research? Most of the mistakes in Josephine's letter should be fairly easy to catch for someone who has read as much as he has. The code Josephine uses seems very similar to Verse Fluctuation Declaration, just a modified version that she knew the children would be able to crack and Olaf wouldn't notice. This aspect of the story actually fits in very well with the existence of VFD. '"You've been so busy figuring out the message," Violet said, "that you don't understand what it means."' (p118) This sums up the difference between Violet and Klaus, I think. It explains why they work so well as a team most of the time. Funny that Klaus, the researcher, isn't the one who thinks to look in the index. I guess he's used to just reading books straight through, while Violet generally retains information a bit more selectively. 'I have seen a woman I loved picked up by an enormous eagle and flown to its high mountain net.' (p126) Handler's now starting to plant the seeds for Beatrice as a character. And now all of the Baudelaires possessions have been destroyed again. I guess Mrs Poe will have to take them shopping for yet more ugly clothes. Chapter Nine
Waiting for the ferry to start again might actually have worked. If the Baudelaires could have stayed hidden, Poe and Olaf would probably have assumed they'd fallen off the cliff along with the house. Still, their concerns that they would get found are legitimate. Olaf always having one assistant to help him carry out his plans hasn't really been set up as a pattern yet, so the Baudelaires can be forgiven for not anticipating one of them would be there. The idea that the sailboat business is real makes me think that there was an actual Captain Sham whom Olaf may have killed, though the business card is part of the VFD disguise kit. Maybe Captain Sham's Sailboat Rentals has long been a VFD-run enterprise in Lake Lachrymose, with whomever was heading it at any given time disguising themselves as the Captain. '[The Baudelaires[ remembered all of [Olaf's troupe] in gruesome detail.' (p135) So what's up with not recognising them when they're in disguise? Here, we get another look at the idea of actions not always being solidly right or wrong, but this hasn't quite been transposed to people yet. If the Baudelaires stole a sailboat in one of the later books, they'd probably spend quite a while worrying about it, which has brought me to the conclusion that they do not become worse people as the series goes on. Instead, they just become more aware of the idea of morality. Would it be possible for the henchperson to hold Klaus in their mouth? How could anyone's teeth be so strong? |
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Post by Foxy on Mar 15, 2019 6:39:06 GMT -5
'"It does only seem like yesterday," Captain Sham said, "but it was really years ago. She and I met in cooking school. We were oven partners in the Advanced Baking Course."' (p97) Might there be any truth in this? VFD does seem to teach cooking to its members. That would be pretty fantastic! Imagine Olaf baking muffins, and wearing oven mitts! Hours and hours? What were Captain Sham and Aunt Josephine doing all that time? Especially as they were only talking by phone. Sham probably dictated the message, but giving his somewhat lack of literary skills, this may have taken some time. Did any of the incorrect grammar stem from him, and Josephine used it to her advantage? First of all, nice dig at Count Olaf's literary skills.  Second of all, it probably took her a long time to come up with grammatical errors, and then to think of a plan, and then to convince herself to be brave enough to go through with the plan. I am guessing not all that time was spent on the phone. Maybe he had his office phone sent to his home phone after business hours? '"You've been so busy figuring out the message," Violet said, "that you don't understand what it means."' (p118) This sums up the difference between Violet and Klaus, I think. It explains why they work so well as a team most of the time. I love how they work together as a team, too. I never thought of that! It would be kind of funny, if it weren't so terrible. Speaking of which, how often does Olaf think the kids die? I know there was the time the caravan fell off the mountain, and the time they fell down the waterfall. I think this is the only time the assistant isn't disguised. I'd rather not think about this at all... |
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 16, 2019 6:59:30 GMT -5
Chapter Ten
'There was also a long pole with a fishing net at the end of it, a small fishing rod with a sharp hook and a rusty spying glass,' (p147) Interesting that there's a spyglass. Thinking about both the film and the Netflix series, is it possible this has any significance to VFD?
'"The sun is setting over there, so that must be west."' (p148) Wait, the sun's setting already? The Baudelaires left the Anxious Clown during lunch, which probably can't have been later than, say, two pm. It can't have taken them more than an hour to walk from the restaurant to the house, or back from the house to Damocles Dock, and I don't think they can have spent longer than about forty-five minutes or so in the house before it collapsed. The ferry terminal seems to have been very close to the sailboat rental place, and they don't spend very long fighting with the HOIG, so by my account it cannot be any later than about five pm by the time they get on the water, and that's a generous estimate. Maybe it's winter and the country where they live is in the north (or the south, if they're in the Southern hemisphere).
Josephine really isn't presented in a very sympathetic way when the Baudelaires find her, is she?
Chapter Eleven
'"now it's the middle of the night."' (p165) How long did it take them to sail across the lake?
'"But I ate a banana," [Josephine] whispered, "just before you arrived."' If it took them such a long time to sail across the lake, and they're now back in the middle of it, I'd assume it should have been at least an hour since Josephine finished her banana, but clearly that's not the case. Also, you'd think she could have mentioned the banana while they were in the cave, as a reason not to leave yet.
Interesting that Violet thinks of fire alarms specifically when she's trying to invent a noisemaker. Maybe Beatrice and Bertrand really drummed the importance of them into their children.
I like how the Baudelaires get their first taste of setting fires here. Of course, the fire is for a completely justified reason, and it doesn't hurt anyone (except Josephine, indirectly, and that really can't be blamed on Violet), but it could be seen as a slippery slope. Perhaps an insight into the origins of fire-starting within VFD.
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Post by veryferociousdrama on Mar 17, 2019 3:28:47 GMT -5
Notes on Chapters Eight to Thirteen.
Noticing Violet and Klaus arguing quite a bit here. Is this the only time we ever see them? It seems a bit strange to read.
Ivan Lachrymose, eh? The same one that's an associate of Count Olaf, and his book used as a VFD one? So is Josephine also hiding VFD books, as they frighten her?
How long does the Hurricane last for, and how far is it between Aunt Josephine's home and Damocles Dock? It seems to be lasting several hours, which isn't unusual for a hurricane, but it is a long time. Presuming the Baudelaires' walk was longer because of it.
So I believe Olaf, with the help of Olivia, predicted the Baudelaires staying with Aunt Josephine, and put some kind of business plan in place. Maybe not, but then that possibly means Captain Sham's rental service was around before, and Olaf killed him. Was he a Volunteer? Was he the Captain of the Prospero? That then disproves my speculation that he's JS, but we'll come to that in TPP.
I can sort of see why Handler killed off HoIG first, as they can't do that much, being so massive. I also don't see how Klaus isn't bleeding, being in their mouth and presumably being bitten. And why does Violet not think they would recognize her?
How far is Curdled Cave from the shore? Is it just a longer journey time because of Hurricane Herman?
I'm not too sure how a cave could be sold by realtors. It definitely makes it not VFD territory. I suppose in a way it's quite clever that Josephine wanted them to live in the cave, to stop VFD potentially bothering them.
Oh my word, Josephine is scared. The breakdown seems to me that Ike's death is far less innocent than she says, with him being a doctor and all, and this is reminding her of what happened.
So, Bertrand's cousin. Some may say Count Olaf, but it says they're a woman, so who is she? I believe it to be Esme Squalor. If either her or Jerome are related to the Baudelaires, I suspect it's her, because she recently married Jerome, and with Poe misinterpreting the whole "closest living relative", and 667 Dark Avenue being only a few blocks only, surely he'd have gone with Jerome to start with. Unless they married before the fire, and Esme refused them on Jerome's behalf, but I doubt Poe would ask again if that was the case.
Despite it being for selfish reasons, Olaf did admittedly do a near "good" thing for saving the Baudelaires. Even though, like I say, I doubt he'd have done it if he didn't need them.
Aah, Josephine's death. I don't think she died, I think Captain Widdershins and Fiona saved her. Because of the Queequeg being underwater, it would have been very easy to fake her death if they picked her up. I then believe they took here to Antwhisle Aquatics, where she lived in the remains somehow, and she was the swimming lady in TGG. She then either gave it to R in the back of Lemony's taxi, or it was actually her in the back, and not R after all. I believe she probably felt pretty guilty about what happened, and thought the Baudelaires would be better without her, hence no contact.
Nice hint from Handler to try to get more than four books. Classy.
So Olaf and HoIG just run away. Seems a bit anti-climatic really, but what can you do? I wonder how long it took the Baudelaires and Poe to be unlocked from the gate?
The Editor letter seems very sinister, with its mention of a surgical mask and hypnosis. In a way, it almost sounds like a horror novel.
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 17, 2019 19:01:52 GMT -5
Noticing Violet and Klaus arguing quite a bit here. Is this the only time we ever see them? It seems a bit strange to read. I seem to remember one other instance of them arguing, I think it's when they're in prison in TVV. TUA does state that Ivan Lachrymose is an associate of Olaf's, but it's confusing, because if he were the person who discovered Lake Lachrymose as Ivan Lachrymose: Lake Explorer seems to imply, presumably he should be long dead by now. It's possible the Ivan Lachrymose who helps Olaf is a descendent of his with the same name. Chapter Twelve
'"Josephine - I thought you'd done the sensible thing and jumped out the window."' (p183) Presumably Olaf can't actually have told Josephine that she had to kill herself, since then she'd have no incentive to write the note. '"Are you blind in both eyes?" Klaus asked. "Aunt Josephine isn't dead!"' (p187) Klaus should probably be familiar enough with Olaf's schemes to realise what he is planning here. His knowledge doesn't necessarily translate into his being able to figure out people well. '"You can tell [Poe] I'm dead! You can have the fortune! You can have the children! Just don't throw me to the leeches!"' (p188) I can't remember exactly how this moment went down in the film, but I definitely think it was a good idea for Josephine's final interaction with the children in the Netflix adaptation to be her standing up for them. It's hard to remember her in a positive light when this is the last we see of her. 'Sunny growled at [Olaf], and he looked down and in one swift gesture moved his peg leg and knocked Sunny to the other end of his boat.' (p190) Maybe when this is when Sunny starts to figure out how to remove the peg leg. 'And the children knew that Aunt Josephine, like the Baudelaires themselves, had experienced some terrible things in her life.' ([194) I think this is the first hint that the Baudelaires might be corrupted in some way due to their unfortunate experiences. '"Why, that's not true," Captain Sham said. "I don't want a penny of your fortune. Except, of course, to pay for the sailboat you stole and wrecked." Mr Poe frowned, and coughed into his handkerchief. "Well, that's a surprising request," he said, "but I suppose that can be arranged."' (p198) So, the Baudelaire fortune can be used to repair damage they caused. I guess that's Olaf's plan here, then: he can just keep saying the children destroyed something or other and Mr Poe will hand over the money to fix it. Chapter Thirteen
The illustration just shows the tattoo as a regular eye, but of course Helquist couldn't have had any idea of what it was meant to look like; I doubt Handler had even decided at this stage. '"And this," Count Olaf growled,"was my greatest plan yet."' (p205) Uh, was it? He got closer to getting the fortune at the end of TBB. I guess figuring out the loophole of how to actually get Poe to give him money was clever of him. '"And arson," Count Olaf piped up,' (p207) Our first hint as Olaf as a fire-starter. The obvious conclusion here is that he was the one who set the Baudelaire fire, but rereading the book, it could refer to any number of arsons. '"I'm not going to allow children to chase after a man like that,"' (p208) As in TRR, I don't think Poe is unreasonable for coming to this decision. Another fake happy ending. I"d forgotten all the early books had these. I like Lemony's ideas of what the morals of different stories are. Also, World War One occurred in the Snicketverse? For a world where technology developed so differently, it sure seems to have had similar history to ours. I really like the idea of 'The Baudelaires had each other' as the moral of the story. It sums up the combination of sadness alongside hope for the future that's such an important theme throughout the series. Timeline notes: I'd say the Baudelaries are at Josephine's for ten days. Seven uneventful days, then the day they meet Olaf, the day they have lunch at the Anxious Clown and sail across the lake, and the day they reveal Olaf's disguise (this probably takes place very early on the tenth day). If we assume that they stayed at the Poe's at the beginning of the book for roughly the same amount of time as I allowed for the first two books, we can probably stretch the time-span of the book to another four weeks. To My Kind Editor
The description of the Jeep outside Orion Observatory matches what Lemony says in TUA, IIRC. It sort of seems like Lemony is giving his manuscripts out using VFD codes, although I presume the editor is not a member. |
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Post by Dante on Mar 18, 2019 16:59:51 GMT -5
Noticing Violet and Klaus arguing quite a bit here. Is this the only time we ever see them? It seems a bit strange to read. I seem to remember one other instance of them arguing, I think it's when they're in prison in TVV. It's not uncommon for the Baudelaires to fight, though it's concentrated in the early books. Later on, it's perhaps the case that events have become so serious that they know they can no longer afford these petty arguments, and so when they disagree it's more as if they agree to disagree, or are airing their different views to see if inspiration strikes. I don't know if I'd take the U.A.'s list of Olaf's associates particularly seriously; it's a peculiarly unreal document which includes a number of people not directly associated with Olaf, along with fictional characters and entirely abstract references. TBB also depicts the tattoo in Chapter Twelve, I believe, and TVV in Chapter... Six, I checked. But Helquist will continue to do rather strange things with the tattoo as it appears on Olaf's ankle, even after every other instance of the insignia starts being drawn correctly. In the publishing context of the series, at this point the only burnt building established in the series is the Baudelaire mansion. It's interesting to try and reconstruct Handler's early ideas about the background plot from what few hints we get in the early books, but things like Olaf as the Baudelaire arsonist and Beatrice as the Baudelaire mother seem indicated and are the obvious conclusions to reach when we have so few characters and plot structures. Is it different? The world of ASoUE appears to have a great deal of the same technology as ours, just not appearing in the same places. TBB looks like it's trying to establish a Victorian world at times, but even it has instances of relative modernity, like the inclusion of motorbikes. It's why I've always felt that the series is trying to be universal, to be set whenever and wherever the reader thinks it is. Though if you start using the publication dates of real books mentioned, it eventually gets very modern indeed. |
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Post by Carrie E. Abelabudite on Mar 18, 2019 21:00:36 GMT -5
The world of ASoUE appears to have a great deal of the same technology as ours, just not appearing in the same places. I guess that's what I meant when I said that technology developed differently; it's not that the technology itself is different, just that it's used in different ways. TVs and computers exist, for example, but aren't prevalent. I agree it's meant to have a universal feel, with the exception of a few intentionally contradictory passages like the motorcycles and horse-drawn carriages on Doldrum Drive. The contrast of Snicketverse-only history with events that actually happened ties in well to the bizarre world with which we are presented, but it's interesting to think about how the fictional places and events we know about could have tied in with the real-world ones mentioned. |
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Second of all, it probably took her a long time to come up with grammatical errors, and then to think of a plan, and then to convince herself to be brave enough to go through with the plan. I am guessing not all that time was spent on the phone.
