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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. The first book in the series, The Bad Beginning, was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Children's Books. The thirteenth and final book, The End, was released on Friday, October 13, 2006.
A film version, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the first three books, was released on December 17, 2004.
[edit] General storyline
The series follows the unlucky lives of the three siblings — Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire and Sunny Baudelaire — 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 supposed 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 parents' financial advisor Mr. Poe, but Poe is often oblivious to the danger that Olaf represents.
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 location of each book's critical events is usually identified in the book's title.
After the eighth book, Sunny shifts from being a helpless baby and begins to speak in sophisticated single word utterances, a variety of incomplete sentences, and some 4-10 word sentences as well. Their meaning is either disguised by being spelled phonetically (e.g. 'surchmi' in The Slippery Slope), through cultural references (Sunny says: 'Matahari', followed by a definition of 'If I stay, I can spy on them and find out.'), 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 both these skills.
Lemony Snicket starts each chapter with a description of something irrelevant to the story, before linking it back to the Baudelaires and their current situation. Also, at the start of every book, there are descriptions about Violet, Klaus and Sunny (their area of expertise, what they usually do, etc.).
[edit] Lemony Snicket's writing style
- Lemony Snicket narrates with 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 continuously maintains the story is true and that it is his "solemn duty" to record it.
- Snicket often goes 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 displays 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 (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 translates 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.
- Snicket criticizes the fairy tales which are always dull and do not make much sense.
- When describing a character that the Baudelaires have met before, Snicket often describes the character first and does not reveal the name of the character until the last moment.
- Snicket always attempts to convince the reader to read a different book.
- Lemony Snicket includes himself in the story as an extra mystery, yet never reveals his true identity.
- Lemony Snicket is certainly well-read, and many of the odd names and phrases in his works mirror other literary works.
[edit] Themes
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" themed calendar
While the books are marketed primarily to children, they are written with adult readers in mind; the series features many references more likely to make sense 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. The names that Violet and Klaus take, Beverly and Elliot, when they are disguised as circus freaks, are the names of the twin gynecologist brothers that Jeremy Irons played in the movie Dead Ringers. 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). Also relating to Edgar Allan Poe is the Nevermore Tree, which is the roosting place of the V.F.D. crows in The Vile Village. The word "Nevermore" is repeated throughout his poem, The Raven. Also, the character Esmé Squalor is most likely a reference to J. D. Salinger's short story, For Esmé with Love and Squalor. More obscure literary references also abound, perhaps in keeping with the common theme of being 'well-read', examples being Sunny suggesting "Orlando" during a discussion of the henchperson of indeterminate gender, a reference to Virginia Woolf's Orlando; Hurricane "Herman", a possible reference to Herman Melville in keeping with the nautical themes in The Wide Window; the skipping of auction lot 49 (an "in" postage stamp) in The Ersatz Elevator refers to Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 the title of which refers to the auction lot # of stamps from a secret postal service. Interestingly, The Crying of Lot 49 also features a labryrinthian plot, a search for a secret organization known only by its initials (W.A.S.T.E.), and numerous subtle cultural and literary references. References in The End include many names taken from literature relating to the sea, islands, and sea storms, such as Charles Nordhoff's and James Norman Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty (novel), William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick. (See Also Castaways)
Social commentary is a major element in the books, which often comment on the seemingly inescapable follies of human nature. The book consistently presents Baudelaires as free thinking, independent people, while almost everyone in the world around them obey authority and succumb to mob psychology, peer pressure, ambition, and other social ills. A high account is given to learning, with those who are "well-read" often being sympathetic characters, while those who shun knowledge are villains. Usually, the well read characters are on the good side of the V.F.D., while the characters who have never touched a book are on the bad side. The books also have strong themes of moral relativism, with the Baudelaires becoming more confused during the course of the series about the difference between right and wrong, feeling they have done many wicked things themselves, and struggling with the question of whether the intentions behind an action justify it. Characters that are evil are throughout the story shown to have many sympathetic aspects and often have led quite difficult lives, and the good character's flaws become major problems. Lemony Snicket makes it clear that he has little patience for those who only see one point of view, without considering both sides to an argument. Almost every major character in the books have lived a life quite as difficult as that of the Baudelaires, especially the villains. The books seem to highlight the choices that we must all make when faced with such incredible odds.
The books seem to be set in an alternate version of earth with stylistic similarities to both the 19th century and the 1930s, though with contemporary, seemingly anachronistic and scientific knowledge. Although the film version sets the Baudelaires' mansion in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, real places are rarely mentioned in the books. A notable exception occurs in The Reptile Room, where Uncle Monty and the Baudelaires plan a trip to Peru; there are also references to the nobility of North American regions, specifically the Duchess of Winnipeg and the King of Arizona.
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 additions 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. Some might argue that these books could also be classified as black comedy, because of the mix of humorous and macabre elements.
Snicket somehow always associates the siblings' obsessions into the story line. Violet always has something to invent, Klaus always finds a library to do research in, and in the early books, Sunny always finds something to chew on. As the books go on, though Snicket realizes that it is no longer quite as adorable for Sunny to have four incredably sharp teeth, so Sunny begins to grow into her teeth, and develops culinary skills.
[edit] Distribution
[edit] Books
The series includes thirteen main books as follow:
- 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
- The End
There are also spin-off novels including:
- Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
- The Beatrice Letters
- Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid
See also Summary of novels in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
[edit] Audio
[edit] 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. The “Dear Reader” blurb is usually read by Handler (as Snicket) at the beginning, although it’s missing in The Hostile Hospital. He also usually reads the 'To my Kind Editor' blurb about the next book at the end. Starting at 'The Carnivourous Carnival' there is another actor who replaces Handler in reading the two blurbs, although they are skipped entirely in 'The Grim Grotto.' All of the recordings include a loosely related song by The Gothic Archies, a novelty band, featuring lyrics by Handler's Magnetic Fields bandmate Stephin Merritt.
[edit] The Tragic Treasury
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Main article: The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events
On October 9, 2006 in the UK, October 10, 2006 in the US and October 21, 2006 in Australia, The Gothic Archies' album The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events was released. This is a collection of all the songs on the thirteen audio books of the series, along with two bonus tracks - one extra from The Canivorous Carnival, and one apparently about The Gothic Archies themselves. [1]
[edit] Film
- Main article: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
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 (As The End reveals that the series took place over a year). 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.
A petition for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events sequel has been signed over hereby thousands of Lemony Snicket fans. The petition will be sent to Paramount Pictures and other people involved in the making of the first film when enough signatures have been collected.
The film takes place in and around Boston, Massachusetts: The envelope at the end of the film is addressed to Boston, Mass. Perhaps incidentally, Viacom, Paramount's parent, owned 2 TV stations in Boston at the time of the film's release: CBS affiliate WBZ-TV, and UPN affiliate WSBK-TV (they are now owned by CBS Corporation).
[edit] Awards
The Bad Beginning
- Colorado Children’s Book Award
- Nevada Young Readers Award
- Nene Award (Hawaii)[2]
- Book Sense Book of the Year (Finalist)[3]
The Wide Window
- IRA/CBC Children's Choice[4]
The Ersatz Elevator
The Vile Village
- IRA/CBC Children's Choice [6]
The Hostile Hospital
- IRA/CBC Children's Choice[7]
The Grim Grotto
- Amazon.com Customers’ Favorite[8]
The Penultimate Peril
- The 2006 Quill Book Awards - Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade Winner [9]
[edit] See also
- Steampunk
- Absurdist fiction
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (film)
[edit] External links
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A Series of
Unfortunate Events
Written by Lemony Snicket
(a.k.a. Daniel Handler)
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
The Film | The Video Game
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Books in the Series:
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 | The End
Summary of novels in A Series of Unfortunate Events
Accompanying Books:
The Beatrice Letters | The Blank Book | The Dismal Dinner | Horseradish | Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography | The Notorious Notations | The Puzzling Puzzles | 13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket
Major Places
667 Dark Avenue | Aunt Josephine's House | The Baudelaire Mansion | Briny Beach | Caligari Carnival | Count Olaf's House | Gorgonian Grotto | Heimlich Hospital | Hotel Denouement | Lake Lachrymose | Lucky Smells Lumbermill | Mortmain Mountains | The Prospero | Prufrock Preparatory School | The Queequeg | Uncle Monty's House | Village of Fowl Devotees |
List of locations in A Series of Unfortunate Events |
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Main Characters:
Violet Baudelaire | Klaus Baudelaire | Sunny Baudelaire | Count Olaf
Secondary Characters:
Mr. Poe | Beatrice | Carmelita Spats | Duncan and Isadora Quagmire | Esmé Squalor | Hook-Handed Man | Jacques Snicket | Justice Strauss | Kit Snicket | Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire | Quigley Quagmire
Minor Characters:
Bruce | Captain Widdershins | Charles | Colette | Dewey Denouement | Eleanora Poe | Fiona | Frank and Ernest Denouement | Friday | Dr. Orwell | Geraldine Julienne | Dr. Gustav Sebald | Hal | Hector | Hugo | Ishmael | Jerome Squalor | Josephine Anwhistle | Kevin | The Man With a Beard but No Hair and the Woman With Hair but No Beard | Montgomery Montgomery | Mr. Remora | Vice Principal Nero | Olivia Lulu | Phil | Sir
Count Olaf's associates | List of minor characters
Organizations:
The Council of Elders | The Daily Punctilio | The Snow Scouts | V.F.D. | Volunteers Fighting Disease
Animals, Plants and Fungi:
Lachrymose Leeches | Medusoid Mycelium | Mortmain Mountain Lions | Uncle Monty's Reptile Collection | V.F.D. Crows | V.F.D. Eagles | Other V.F.D. Animals
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V.F.D.:
List of VFDs | Mysterious Names and Initials | Snicket file | Sugar Bowl | V.F.D. Codes | Zombies in the Snow
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