“If you are interested in stories with
happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book,
not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few
happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened
in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny
Baudelaire were intelligent children, and they were charming, and resourceful,
and had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky, and most
everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair.
I’m sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes.”
To many, Lemony Snicket’s opening passage
would seem out of place in a children’s novel. However, after reading the book,
one would find that it was a very fitting beginning. Not only does it
immediately display the dark-humored, cynical, and self-conscious narration
style that is consistent throughout the series, but it engages the reader.
Throughout all thirteen books the reader is directly spoken to by the narrator,
enhancing the captivating atmosphere of the stories. While generally classified
as children’s fiction, A Series of
Unfortunate Events weaves together elements of both absurdist
and gothic fiction to create a world of peculiar characters and
bizarre plot-lines. With each book, the Baudelaire orphans
find themselves in a new location with
new guardians, and the sinister
Count Olaf arriving in disguise to steal their fortune. The setting of each
book is indicated by its alliterative title (with the exception of the
thirteenth book). The Baudelaire’s world appears to be an alternate one, which
cannot be identified as during any particular time period. Stylistically the
series is both antiquated as well as contemporary. Snicket combines elements of
modern and vintage technology to create steampunk imagery. One of the most
memorable aspects of the series is its social perspective. The children are
depicted as self-sufficient and broad-minded, while the adults are seen as
incapable and conforming. Those who are well-read and strive to learn are
presented as kind and trustworthy, whereas those who reject such pursuits are
characterized as villains. Akin to many other works of child fiction, the
series explores the theme of morality. As the Baudelaire’s struggle to defeat the
sinister forces in their lives, they are faced with many ethical dilemmas that
cause them to question whether or not the end justifies the means.
A Series of Unfortunate Events was the first full book series that I read on my own. As I
joined the Baudelaire orphans on their thirteen-book journey, I discovered my
ability to connect with fictional characters. They became a part of me, and to
this day they still are. This series was the beginning of my greatest passion;
reading. Not only did it enthrall me to the point where I developed a need to
pick up book after book and get lost in world after world, but it influenced
other aspects of my personality as well. I have a deep-rooted appreciation for
all things steampunk or vintage. When I first read A Series of Unfortunate Events I was at an age where I was unable
to recognize, or perhaps simply didn’t have the words for, these aspects of the
stories. I think that on a subconscious level I developed a wonder for Lemony
Snicket’s unusual elements. Being exposed to such a strange array of artistic
material at a young age impacted me in the best of ways. I have never never found the usual avenues of adolescent hobbies very interesting. Instead, I've always sought out books, or objects that
feel like physical manifestations of the emotions I experience while reading. I
am always searching for the wild, absurd, and wonderful world that I found within the most unfortunate series of events.
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