|
|
Post by Shelly on Mar 10, 2006 1:05:58 GMT -5
I apologise if this topic is already being discussed.
In TPP, when Sunny is remebering the phase "eat crow" when her mother used it, her parents were playing backgammon.
When the woman with hair but no beard points at the Baudelaires taking off their blindfolds, Lemony mentions the finger in question was broken during a fight over backgammon.
When Lemony has mentioned he's hiding under a table in a villian's house, he hopes no one notices the shaking backgammon set.
Is this a clue of some sort to the next book?
Discuss.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 10, 2006 2:13:47 GMT -5
I don't think it's a clue, I think it's one of TPP's motifs, like the smoke and mirrors, and the various semi-coded phrases. That said, in recent books Handler's made asides to old motifs - he mentioned the belly of the beast again in TGG, plus some other examples I've forgotten - but they haven't played anything like a major part. If I recall correctly, the final statement, about Lemony hiding beneath a table, was rather confusing as to whether it was referring to the distant past or present, but I have to go now so somebody else will probably have to clear that up.
|
|
Antenora
Detriment Deleter 
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891 
Likes: 113
|
Post by Antenora on Mar 10, 2006 9:07:09 GMT -5
The quote refers to "someone who writes twelve or thirteen books in a relatively short time"(pg 141) which seems to imply that Snicket had already written twelve books as he's hiding under the backgammon table, and hence that the scene takes place in the present. And I think that if there's any significance to all those mentions of backgammon, the only think they prove is that backgammon was popular among VFD before the schism. It could just be a recurring but essentially meaningless motif, though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 13, 2006 20:44:09 GMT -5
Motifs didn't play an important role? If the belly of the beast in tgg(why don't I remember it) was referring to either the kids being captured by olaf or them being stuck in the Gorgonian Grotto I'd say that's pretty important, so backgammon may come up again.
But I think its mention was rather interesting, although a disconcerting part about that is that Lemony says it would take another series of unfortunate events(or 12 or 13 books or something like that) to explain how the woman came to be in that backgammon fight, so that may imply that hers is also the fate of the Baudelaires, but I hope not. (That was quite the run on sentence...)
|
|
|
|
Post by Dante on Mar 14, 2006 3:38:42 GMT -5
Motifs didn't play an important role? If the belly of the beast in tgg(why don't I remember it) was referring to either the kids being captured by olaf or them being stuck in the Gorgonian Grotto I'd say that's pretty important, so backgammon may come up again. It was in reference to the control room of the Queequeg. Widdershins said "This is the belly of the beast!" once when they entered it, and it never came up again. It didn't seem at all important, but I guess it could have been to link him to TCC and strengthen the connection to Olivia, although if so it'd be a rather obscure reference. |
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 14, 2006 21:34:23 GMT -5
Ah, blasted memory. In that case it really isn't important, sorry about that.
But it is ingenious that Handler made that connection(Olivia to widdershins), whether he was aware of making such a connection or no.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sugary Snicket on Mar 16, 2006 19:01:16 GMT -5
That's what i thought. As soon as I read that sentance, I was like, "oh my God, TCC referance!"
But again, I think it was just a meaningless ploy. Maybe just to throw us off?
|
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 16, 2006 21:41:31 GMT -5
But throw us off of what?
This backgammon mention could be connecting things. It's mentioned 3 times, with the baud parents, with Lemony's hiding, and with the sinister woman. Is there meant to be a connection?
|
|
|
|
Post by Shelly on Mar 17, 2006 18:14:45 GMT -5
Supposedly . . .
maybe the Baudelaires find Lemony under a table?
|
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 17, 2006 21:38:46 GMT -5
mm, I doubt that. I think that was just a random reference to his present day condition like that time in tvv(I think it was) where he hoped the morning would enable him to saw through his handcuffs and escape through the double barred window.
|
|
|
|
Post by Grace on Mar 18, 2006 7:44:55 GMT -5
I believe the last two events probably happened simaltaneously. I think it was actually made quite obvious, then again, as always, you can always have a red herring. I don't, however, think it's a clue to the next book. There's a small possibility, but overall I pretty much doubt it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 19, 2006 20:40:37 GMT -5
How do we know they're simultaneous? They were both mentioned at different times and Lemony was writing this, presumably, after its events had occurred since he knows everywhere the taxi driver went after he left the hotel. Therefore it would be hard to believe that those 2 events occurred at exactly the same time..
|
|
|
|
Post by chabo on Mar 20, 2006 18:59:11 GMT -5
yeah its pretty good that you picked up on this. i dont know wheather it means anything coz you know how lemony likes to do these kinds of things. but it might mean something.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jacques the Environmentalist on Mar 21, 2006 20:47:27 GMT -5
It might. A connection, I think, is definitely drawn between the Baudelaire family as a whole and the sinister woman. It's also revealed that backgammon is a choice game of VFD.
|
|
|
|
Post by jman on Apr 4, 2006 15:09:18 GMT -5
About strenghening Olivia's ties, in TGG it also mentioned that Widdershins taught Olivia the stain code when they were both young.
|
|
