Could Esme's maiden name be Baudelaire?

[Dante]

I think it's more likely to be smudged out because Daniel Handler wasn't interested in revealing it; which is to say, in inventing it. He does something similar with the bald man's name on page 117. Just because it's a mystery doesn't mean that there's an interesting answer, or that it's even possible to solve. You're more or less welcome to come up with your own answer, but this suggestion might produce some interesting results if you want to believe in it.

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

I'll ride on Dante's benevolence with lsandthebooks, and I'll also put my own ideas about Esme's maiden name. I like to imagine (and only imagine) that one of Esme's maiden names was Anwhistle. I like to imagine this because I think it is possible that the person who gave Esme the whistle that was hypothetically inside the sugar bowl was Gregor Anwhistle during the Olaf Schism. I also like to imagine that Gregor handed Esme some of the deadly fungus we fear so much, and that Olaf and Esme entered the VFD meeting with a sample of this fungus in some tightly sealed container. To threaten the VFD members, they briefly removed the fungus from the container, and then one of the meeting members demanded that it be placed back in the container. Sure, but this is just me imagining things ...

[Dante]

That's actually quite a good explanation for the Building Committee transcript, though if it had been what was intended at the time then I don't think a box would have been the container employed. Reportedly Handler was imagining a match or a lighter, which would be a literal and figurative better fit.

Back on the subject, thinking about "Baudelaire" as a surname for Esmé would explain how she and Jerome were able to adopt as non-relatives, if one of them was in fact a relative all along; we even have an explanation for why they didn't come up in the running order sooner, with Esmé's statement that orphans weren't in before TEE. It's clearly not what was intended, for plenty of other non-relatives become the Baudelaires' guardians, and if either of the Squalors really was a relative then they would certainly be introduced as such on-screen; the fact that Jerome was a friend of the Baudelaire mother seems to me to be intended as an explanation of his connection to their family. But if you want to believe it, there are things you can do with that idea.

[Hermes]

I had a theory once that 'Baudelaire' was Fernald's surname. I withdrew this theory when Fiona kissed Klaus, but of course it still could be their name if they were remote enough cousins. New theory: everyone with an unstated surname is called Baudelaire - it is a widespread clan with branches all over Snicketland.

The mystery of Esme's maiden name is puzzling, given that nothing seems to turn on it - one might think that DH could have thought up a name quite easily. But it fits into the 'much is mysterious' feel of the later books - though the things that are mysterious are in general not the things we really need to know to understand the story.

It seems to me quite possible she is a relation of theirs - just too remote to be called an aunt or whatever. After they leave the Squalors, Mr Poe tries to get a nineteenth cousin to take them, so it's perfectly possible that the Squalors were, say, fifteenth cousins. The same applies to Sir. In that case all their actual guardians would be related - Nero not being a guardian - until VFDevotees, which did not become their guardian until the last relation had refused.

[Foxy]

Hermes, if you had a theory that Fernald's last name was Baudelaire, did that theory only last a few chapters in TGG? Or did you think his last name was Baudelaire way before we knew his name was Fernald, and you thought he was "Hook-handed man" Baudelaire? I mean, not actually hook handed man, but "insert name here."

That would be interesting, Esme Baudelaire. Bertrand's sister. But I kind of thought she may be Bertrand's cousin because of the whole thing with the burning the ants in TWW. The only relative I can really remember being mentioned was an uncle in TAA, Uncle Elwin. I imagined he was an uncle on their father's side.

[Hermes]

Foxy: Just for a few chapters in TGG. The evidence is:
a. F and F's father 'went away' rather than dying.
b. This clearly happened just after Fiona was born, since she appears as a baby in a picture with the captain.
c. Fiona is just a bit older than Violet (though old enough for it to be visible, so not, say, two days older).

[R.]

I do believe that she is a Baudelaire, and she is Bertrand’s cousin mentioned in TWW.

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

I would like to take advantage of this thread to say that I stopped believing that inside that box there was the MM fungus, so that the chance of Esme being called Anwhistle has vanished. (But I really liked the theory that the SB had a whistle. "An Whistle" is what was on SB, despite the typo is still a tip. ) Regarding Esmé's maiden name, I think this is a classic example of headcanon. You will be able to believe anything without contradiction, but at the same time you will not find positive evidence. As Dante would say, the lack of evidence against something is not evidence in favor of something.