toddles
Bewildered Beginner
Posts: 2
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Post by toddles on Oct 4, 2007 0:55:34 GMT -5
Of course, We are once again left with unanswered questions. Such as, What happened to the Bauldelaires but I know that THE END will be the last instalment of A Series Of Unfortunate Events but I still think Lemony should release another book at least explaining the answers to some of our questions. I also think a diary of the Bauldalaire Parents should be released. What are your thoughts?
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Post by Dante on Oct 4, 2007 3:29:54 GMT -5
Why do we need to know anything more? Handler's said he always knew how the books would end, so it doesn't look like he ever intended to answer some of the questions in the series; the abandonment of any subplots with loose ends merely reinforces this notion. Most book series, most books, end in much the same way as aSoUE - we know the characters are still there, that they'll go on to do more things, have more adventures, etc. TBL offers us enough of a glimpse of the future to know that this is true for aSoUE, that the same things will happen similarly but differently. What makes aSoUE so special that it requires something more? The only way it could end without those questions of what happens next would be if the characters chose to remain in some static environment - like if they'd never left the island - or if they died. Do we really want more books if they're just going to end that way? Or if they're just going to be formulaic filler written solely because the fans don't want the story to end and/or because the author wants money?
The thematic conclusion of aSoUE in The End undermines the possibility of more books and the idea that that could be a good thing. It tells us that the aSoUE world is no storybook - there's no real end just as there's no real beginning. “But you can’t read every story, and answer every question, even if you’d like to.” If there were to be more books, books necessary to understand aSoUE, I'd take some convincing that they had a good reason to exist and didn't undermine the thematic integrity of The End.
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Post by fordxprefect on Oct 4, 2007 10:37:32 GMT -5
And besides, Handler needs to leave a LITTLE bit of mystery in the series. He wouldn't be able to do that if he had a Book the Fifteenth that explained every trite little detail. Fans just need to be creative and think of what will happen for themselves.
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Post by dragonprincess on Oct 4, 2007 12:31:21 GMT -5
I agree with you. He wrapped up a lot of the chararcter in PP but it was slopply. He pretty much said, some live, some died. I am not one of those people who think it's better that he left a lot of cliffhangers. He put the questions out there. He should have answered them. Also there was NO reason not to encluded the Quagmires in the last book. They could have been on the island and been brainwashed or lost, or about to be killed and the Baudelaires had to save them. Anything had to be better then what we got. I also think that he is not done with ASOUE.
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Post by fordxprefect on Oct 4, 2007 15:41:32 GMT -5
Hmmm. . .dragonprincess, to whom were you agreeing? I said it was good he didn't explain everything.
But yah, I have imagined an alternate ending where Quigley/all three Quagmires come to the island. . .oh well.
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Post by Lemony Snicket on Oct 16, 2007 5:57:40 GMT -5
I remember a few years ago, there was a story about a picture at the back of a ASOUE book of the Baudalare's wearing tatterd hotel outfits, dragging in a '?' submabrine instead of the normal picture- and that was when the Grim Grotto came out!! Discuss! There was also astory of a ASOUE book coming out in gold... gffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffjhnjmbhjjmmn Oh, soorry!  I leant on the keyboard! Reason for Editing: Moderator edit: Combining quadruple-post. |
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Post by Dante on Oct 16, 2007 6:47:43 GMT -5
I remember a few years ago, there was a story about a picture at the back of a ASOUE book of the Baudalare's wearing tatterd hotel outfits, dragging in a '?' submabrine instead of the normal picture- and that was when the Grim Grotto came out!! Discuss! That story sounds highly improbable; I don't know why the publishers would have a rare copy of an aSoUE book with a completely different and spoiler-filled illustration like that, and I'm sure it would be more commonly-known. This seems more like somebody's speculation on the future books based on the events of TGG, or possibly an apocryphal rumour entirely (as with the repeated rumours over the years that there would be a book named The Tumbling Towers, which one can also see elements of the Hotel Denouement in if one tries). Nonetheless, if you could remember where exactly you heard that, or even find a link, it would be very interesting for us to study. There's elements of truth in this; at one point, the publishers were going to release a very fancy "Private Library Edition" of TBB, but it ended up never being made. The U.K.-only special editions of TBB have the words on the cover etched in gold-colour (and at one point I believed the pages were edged in gold-colour, but they aren't). Again, though, I'm inclined to think this is more the result of someone's imagination rather than a corruption of the actual truth. It's still interesting to hear, though. |
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Post by PJ on Oct 16, 2007 10:31:17 GMT -5
I remember a few years ago, there was a story about a picture at the back of a ASOUE book of the Baudalare's wearing tatterd hotel outfits, dragging in a '?' submabrine instead of the normal picture- and that was when the Grim Grotto came out!! Discuss! That story sounds highly improbable; I don't know why the publishers would have a rare copy of an aSoUE book with a completely different and spoiler-filled illustration like that, and I'm sure it would be more commonly-known. This seems more like somebody's speculation on the future books based on the events of TGG, or possibly an apocryphal rumour entirely (as with the repeated rumours over the years that there would be a book named The Tumbling Towers, which one can also see elements of the Hotel Denouement in if one tries). Nonetheless, if you could remember where exactly you heard that, or even find a link, it would be very interesting for us to study. Now that you've mentioned it, I did spot a rather strange looking asoue book in Borders a few weeks back. It was a copy of the End, except the title on the spine of the book was in a much larger font than the others, huge, even, and the colour of the book was also quite a bit lighter than all the others. I poked through it, and as far as I could see, those seemed to be the only differences. It was probably just a printing mishap, as there was only one of them there, but still, it's strange. |
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Post by fordxprefect on Oct 16, 2007 10:44:15 GMT -5
I thought all the copies of The End had a larger font on the spine. . .simply because the phrase "The End" is shorter than all the other titles.
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Post by PJ on Oct 17, 2007 9:49:40 GMT -5
Well, not here. It's the same font size as all the other asoue books - and all the copies of the End, aside from the one I mentioned.
If I go to the same bookshop any time soon, I'll try and get a picture of the abnormal book, if it's still there.
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Post by fordxprefect on Oct 18, 2007 8:51:00 GMT -5
Ookie day. Do the Australian editions look the same as the UK editions?
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Post by PJ on Oct 19, 2007 1:12:00 GMT -5
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Post by violet on Nov 4, 2007 8:45:07 GMT -5
that's the American Edition (the one I have). Oh,and back to the topic: Answered Questions: It answerd some things abut the Baudelaire parent's past It answerded who Beatrice was It answered where tHe Quagmires went (they went to The GU,though unfortunately it didn't say what the GU was or if the Quagmires lived or died) It proved that VFD is 'Volunteer Fire Department' It said something about Kit& Olaf It said what gender Kit's baby is,what there name was,the father of it,etc. It said where the boat went (well,it had to say where the boat went or it would be confusing) It said some stuff about Violet,Klaus,and Sunny's past More inventions,more cooking,and more researching It proved that no Baudelaire parent survived the fire Unanswered Quetions: What exactly happened to the quagmires? What is the GU? Did the Baudelaire parents really commit the poision dart crime? Does Olaf know that Kit gave The Baudelaire parents the poision darts (they kissed,and Olaf would most likely be mad at her if he knew that) Reason for Editing: mistakes,the problem with typing on the computer |
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Post by Beatrice Extraordinaire on Nov 4, 2007 9:45:07 GMT -5
What is the deal with Olaf & Kit? Maybe I overlooked something, but I am stil confused about their relationship.
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Post by Dante on Nov 4, 2007 10:04:13 GMT -5
It seems that Olaf and Kit were in a romantic relationship once, most likely a very long time ago, but broke up for reasons unknown - perhaps drifting onto different sides of the schism. But Olaf must have not entirely been committed to this break-up, and swore that one day he would kiss Kit again. They eventually became different enough that Kit felt able to assist in the murder of Olaf's parents and have a child with Dewey Denouement, and Olaf felt able to almost permanently blacken the name of her younger brother and murder her twin, quite aside from all his other villainous acts. But in The End, if only in a small way, Olaf's love for Kit won through one last time.
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I leant on the keyboard!
