Series of Unfortunate Events, A
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Wikipedia-Article "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a children's book series, written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket, and illustrated by Brett Helquist. There are twelve books in the series as of 2005, but it is known that the final series will consist of thirteen books (each with thirteen chapters), excluding spin-offs such as The Unauthorized Autobiography. The first book in the series, The Bad Beginning, was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Children's Books.
A film version, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the first three books, was released on December 17, 2004.
Contents |
The story
General plot
The series follows the lives of the three Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, after the sudden deaths of their parents in a fire at their family home. In The Bad Beginning, they are sent to live with their third cousin, four times removed (or their fourth cousin three times removed), Count Olaf, a most unpleasant, evil man. In the following books, Olaf often disguises himself to get nearer to the orphans in hope of stealing their fortune. The orphans routinely try to get help from their parent's financial advisor Mr. Poe, but Poe is often oblivious to Olaf and the danger he represents. He originally assumes that Olaf is a very generous man for watching the Baudelaires, but eventually realizes that Olaf is a villain, and the horrors that are around him.
The Baudelaires find out about a secret organization, V.F.D., which Count Olaf is involved with. Gradually, they find out more and more about V.F.D. and what a large part it has played (or is playing) in their lives.
Themes
Much is made of the unhappy nature of the story. The book's back-cover blurbs warn the reader of the dreadful things described within each volume and respectfully suggest reading something else instead. Each volume begins with a dedication to the memory of Lemony Snicket's beloved Beatrice (e.g.. from The Bad Beginning: "To Beatrice - darling, dearest, dead."). An example of Lemony Snicket's writing follows:
- Like this book, the dictionary shows you that the word "nervous" means "worried about something" - you might feel nervous, for instance, if you were served prune ice cream for dessert, because you would be worried that it would taste awful - whereas the word "anxious" means "troubled by disturbing suspense," which you might feel if you were served a live alligator for dessert, because you would be troubled by the disturbing suspense about whether you would eat your dessert or it would eat you. But unlike this book, the dictionary also discusses words that are far more pleasant to contemplate. The word "bubble" is in the dictionary, for instance, as is the word "peacock," the word "vacation," and the words "the" "author's" "execution" "has" "been" "cancelled," which make up a sentence that is always pleasant to hear. So if you were to read the dictionary, rather than this book, you could skip the parts about "nervous" and "anxious" and read about things that wouldn't keep you up all night long, weeping and tearing out your hair.
While the books are marketed primarily to children, they are also written with adult readers in mind; the series features many references likely to make sense only to adults. Many of the characters' names allude to other fictional works or real people with macabre connections. For instance, the Baudelaire orphans are named for Charles Baudelaire, and Sunny and Klaus take their first names from Claus and Sunny von Bülow; Uncle Monty warns the children never to let the Virginian Wolfsnake near a typewriter, referencing both Monty Python and Virginia Woolf; the two triplets that the Baudelaire children befriend are named Isadora and Duncan after Isadora Duncan; and Snicket's dead former lover Beatrice may be a reference to Beatrice Portinari. Also, Poe's children, Edgar and Albert, refer to Edgar Allan Poe (the name Albert while possibly chosen so as to not make it too obvious, may also refer to Edgar Albert Guest who is also mentioned in book 11).
The books are set in a fantasy world with stylistic similarities to the 1930s, though with contemporary, seemingly anachronistic technology and scientific knowledge. Although the books can be classed as 'steampunk', in that they involve young people struggling against great odds in an anachronistic setting, the addition, in later books, of the mysterious organization known as V.F.D. have begun to push the story into the new genre of post-steampunk (in the same way that later editions to the cyberpunk genre are now classed as postcyberpunk).
The books can also be classified as absurdist fiction, due to their eccentric characters, quirky writing style and generally improbable storylines. Due to the mix of humorous and macabre elements, some might argue that they could also be classified as black comedy.
General storyline
Each of the Series of Unfortunate Events picks up from the last, finding the three orphans in some new situation, typically not of their making. The locale of each book's critical events is identified in the book's title.
The thirteen books have two distinct phases. After the first book sets the tone, the following five books follow its same basic structure:
- The Baudelaires are left in the care of an eccentric guardian or guardians, usually extremely inadequate. Aside from Uncle Monty "The Reptile Room", all guardians have been either unconcerned with the orphans' care or too afraid to do anything about it.
- Count Olaf usually appears in a disguise so effective that seemingly only the Baudelaires can recognize him. When they try to warn the adults about him, they will be disregarded.
- Count Olaf will often have one or more disguised assistants: the Hook-Handed Man, the person of indeterminate gender, the bald man with the big nose, or the two powder-faced women.
- A symbol of a giant eye is found in connection with almost every villain (principal villains are usually Olaf in disguise).
- Violet's inventions, Klaus's knowledge, and/or Sunny's sharp teeth save them from tragic events and Count Olaf's latest scheme.
- Count Olaf's identity will be revealed to the shocked adults, who don't seem to remember the Baudelaires warned them he was Count Olaf in the first place.
- Count Olaf will escape at the last minute and the Baudelaires will be sent to live with another guardian.
The seventh (and exact middle of the thirteen) - The Vile Village - marks a critical transition for the Baudelaires. The book begins as the first six, with an entire village taking over as incompetent guardian to the three orphans. In the middle of the book, the tone shifts. After being framed from the murder of Jacques Snicket, apparently Lemony Snicket's brother, the orphans go on the run, and on the offense, at times even pursuing Count Olaf rather than being pursued.
Later books in the series have moved away from this formula; while V.F.D. and associated elements have become more and more important, the children have become more self-reliant, searching out information on their own rather than waiting for Olaf to find them. After the seventh book, the Baudelaires are now on the run after the Daily Punctilio publishes false information about the Baudelaires killing Count Olaf. Mr. Poe is no longer taking them to another guardian. All guardians from this point on are only technically guardians.
- Beginning with Book 8, The Hostile Hospital, it is the Baudelaires who begin to adopt disguises to fool Olaf and his troupe, and not the reverse. Since Count Olaf is not really dead, but everyone believes that he is, Count Olaf no longer needs to wear a disguise.
- Olaf's goals expand as well. Count Olaf no longer focuses on just the Baudelaire's fortune and is also keen on getting his hands on the Quagmire sapphires, the Snicket file, and the sugar bowl.
- The Baudelaires are seeking to find more information about the secret of Olaf's eye-tattooed ankle and the organization V.F.D., which is discovered in each book. They are certainly connected with a mysterious string of arson attacks. They are also wondering about the importance of the sugar bowl and whether their parents are still alive.
- The later books will reveal that the eye is the symbol for the organization V.F.D. and that these very letters are disguised within it (The Carnivorous Carnival). In fact, the entire series has been about V.F.D, first mentioned by the Quagmire triplets in The Austere Academy.
- The reader discovers that many of the various guardians, villains and ancillary characters that the orphans encountered in the first six books are somehow involved in V.F.D, including their parents. V.F.D was once a virtuous secret organization, dedicated to fighting fires - figurative and real. But it has undergone a schism that has pitted former members against one another -- some starting fires, others fighting them.
- More interestingly, many of the main characters - including Olaf - have been orphaned. Many have been orphaned by members of the organization, often burning down their homes. Others have been killed by fires as well.
- A number of these are groups of three children - the Baudelaires, the Quagmires, the Snickets, the powder-faced women (who had a sibling die in a fire) and the Denouements.
- Olaf's minions begin to die and are replaced by new accomplices who join his troupe. These newcomers usually shared a bond with the Baudelaires before crossing over to Olaf's wickedness. The most important is Esmé Squalor, the city's sixth most important financial advisor, who begins to chase the Baudelaires after book six. She is Count Olaf's girlfriend.
- All three children develop in both subtle and obvious ways. Klaus and Violet both celebrate birthdays, and both meet romantic interests (although one ends in some angst when they join Olaf's troupe). Sunny shifts from being a helpless baby and begins to speak in sophisticated single word utterances, with their meaning either disguised by being spelled phonetically or being written in other languages. Sunny also outgrows her teeth as her primary skill and adds cooking to her list of abilities, solving problems with these skills.
Lemony Snicket's writing style
- Lemony Snicket narrates with respectful, subtle humor, usually when explaining words, details, and analogies. He often uses a deliberate spoiler for suspense.
- Despite the general absurdity of the books' storylines, Lemony Snicket will continuously maintain the story is true and that it is his "solemn duty" to record it.
- Lemony Snicket will hold an attitude toward the Baudelaires which could almost be described as hero-worship. His portrayal of the other characters will also be one-sided.
- Snicket will often go off on humorous asides, talking about his personal life, opinions of various matters, etc. The details of his alleged personal life are largely absurd. For example, Snicket claims to have been chased by an angry mob for sixteen miles.
- Snicket will display a greater aversion for macabre elements than the average reader. Whenever the story is reaching a depressing point, he will beg the reader to stop reading and imagine a happy ending.
- Snicket will display a cynical outlook on life. It's implied he became embittered due to events that occurred in his past.
- Snicket often talks about Beatrice, the woman he loved (this may be a reference to Beatrice Portinari, who was unrequitedly loved by the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri and appears as a character in two of his works)
- Snicket often uses strange and specific similes, in which an event in the story is described as being like a situation that would rarely occur, though Snicket goes into great detail about it, perhaps describing past experiences of his such as described above.
- Snicket will translate for the youngest Baudelaire orphan, Sunny, who in the early books can only say words or phrases that only make sense to her siblings. This becomes less common as Sunny begins to speak real words.
Unanswered Questions
- What is the important object inside the sugar bowl?
- What is the name of the Baudelaire's mother?
- Who is Beatrice?
- How did the Hook Handed Man get his hooks?
- Was Madame Lulu's death and the destinations in all of the books, part of Olaf's plan?
- Who leads V.F.D., if anyone?
- Who are Fiona and Fernald's parents?
- Are Gregor and Ike Anwhistle somehow related to Hector? (The Vile Village)
- What was the question mark object that chased Olaf's submarine away in The Grim Grotto?
- Why wasn't the sugar bowl more important before the second half of the series?
- What is Count Olaf's surname?
- Does every location the Baudelaires go to have something to do with V.F.D.?
- Where is Captain Widdershins?
- Who died and who escaped in the fire at Hotel Denouement?
- Will the Quagmires appear in Book the Thirteenth?
- Why didn't the Baudelaires go with Justice Strauss at the end of The Penultimate Peril?
- What will Count Olaf do now that the Baudelaires are finally in his clutches?
- How much time elapses between the series' beginning and end?
- Who killed Count Olaf's parents with poison darts? (Though the text of the Penultimte Peril implies that the Baudelaire parents did the deed.)
- What does V.F.D. actually stand for?
- What does Esme Squalor mean by "It was mine" when they were talking about the Sugar Bowl?
- Are either of the Baudelaire parents alive?
Other notes
- Though they are very subversive, there are no morals in the books. In fact, the author has emphasized that he wrote the books with the intention of not including any morals.
- Despite the death of their parents and the "series of unfortunate events" they have endured, the Baudelaires seem to suffer few psychological effects. This was changed in the film.
- In every book, the Baudelaires use and/or encounter a library of some sort.
- Around the cover illustration of each books is a border. The border describes an aspect of the book.
- On the first page of every book, the ex libris, there are two circular pictures. The first one, on the top of the page, usually has the Baudelaires in it. The second picture, on the bottom, is of Count Olaf and the disguise he wears in the book. However, In the ninth book (The Carnivorous Carnival) and each subsequent novel, the picture of Olaf is the same one that appears in the first book (The Bad Beginning) and it is the Baudelaire’s picture which changes according to the disguise or outfit they wear.
- At the end of each book, the last illustration features a picture describing something from the next one.
- Each book has thirteen chapters, thirteen being regarded by some as an "unlucky" number.
Distribution
Books
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events The Bad Beginning | The Reptile Room | The Wide Window | The Miserable Mill | The Austere Academy | The Ersatz Elevator | The Vile Village | The Hostile Hospital | The Carnivorous Carnival | The Slippery Slope | The Grim Grotto | The Penultimate Peril | Book the Thirteenth |
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Audio books
Most of the series of unabridged audio books are read by actor Tim Curry, though Books III-V are read by Handler as Lemony Snicket. All of the recordings include a loosely related song by The Gothic Archies, a novelty band featuring lyrics by Handler's Magnetic Fields band mate Stephin Merritt.
Film
A film version, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the first three books, was released on December 17, 2004. It stars Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, Billy Connolly as Uncle Monty, Emily Browning as Violet, Liam Aiken as Klaus, Kara & Shelby Hoffman as Sunny, and Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. The film tie-in editions of the novels feature a variation on the usual reverse-psychology blurb: the blurb takes the form of a message from Count Olaf, listing the good points of the story (such as "a dashing count") but suggesting that it would be much easier and less boring to watch the movie instead.
Considering the success of the movie, the director and some of the lead actors hinted that they are keen on making a sequel, but no one has written a script as of yet. According to director Brad Silberling, the second movie would take its plot from the next few books. Also, Silberling is quite unhappy that the filming process took seven months instead of the seven weeks in which he claimed he could shoot the movie. Browning has said that any further films would have to be produced quickly, as the children do not age much throughout the book series. Other plot discrepancies, such as Klaus's glasses breaking in the Miserable Mill (he has glasses in the film, but rarely uses them) may also hinder the production of any sequel.
The film takes place in and around Boston, Massachusetts. (The envelope at the end of the film is addressed to Boston, Mass.)
See also
External links
- Lemony Snicket official website
- A Series of Unfortunate Events at the Internet Movie Database
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Movie - Official Website
- The Quiet World - An "A Series of Unfortunate Events" Fansite
- SnickWiki - A Snicket-centric Wiki
- A Wiki of Unfortunate Events - A Wiki for all things Lemony Snicket.
- Official Book the Twelfth Website- Removed and replaced with a note stating that it is too late and the end is near. The title, of course, is The Penultimate Peril
- Unfortunate News Website
- 667 Dark Avenue Forums - An "A Series of Unfortunate Events" Forum
