[Introduction to] 10 Reasons Why Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Deserves to be

Okay, so as one might already notice, I'm a huge fan of Lemony Snicket's works (The B&W pictures on the homepage of my main blog says it all, not to mention that huge quote). Yes, I am. I love it very much. Why? Well, mainly because it's the first book series that I actually read and really liked. It was basically what pushed me to love reading. Looking back, I think I was meant to love ASOUE. I was in 6th grade when I first learned about the books. I only ever watched the 2004 movie and I loved it. A few years later, I discovered it actually has thirteen books. Knowing the movie only covered the first three, I was curious as to what other "unfortunate event" the Baudelaires had underwent. At that time, internet was hard to accomplish. There was no connection yet in our house. I didn't even go to internet cafes because I didn't know what to do. But see, at that time, I didn't know PDF files of book series existed. I didn't know I could read them online. As a kid, I went into the Wikipedia page of ASOUE and read every single summary for each book (A huge spoil, I know). Good thing for me though, I forget easily. So when I finally had a copy of all thirteen books, I went down to it. I was already on my first year of high school when I read all thirteen books. I felt disappointed by myself because I didn't buy the books. I remembered I envied the bookstore as a kid. Rows of Lemony's books were in the shelves and I couldn't possibly buy all thirteen of them. I was a kid! I didn't have money. So yeah, whenever I could get inside National Bookstore, I'd go straight into that corner and check which ASOUE books are still available (though I didn't buy them). I prayed to God, "I really really want these books". Suddenly, I think, 6 years later? My cousin found all thirteen of them in Booksale. Really! It was a shock because I usually go to Booksale and leave with no books. That day, I left with thirteen. See, all you have to do is wait and pray. You can get the things you want. And this is why I was meant to love ASOUE. I even bought The Unauthorized Autobiography and The Beatrice Letters. Thank you, Lord.

Anyways, that's not the only reason why I love ASOUE, of course. Here are ten other reasons why I adore (and maybe you should too) these books so much. (This is my first time writing a Buzzfeed type of post, so please)

1. It is not your average children's book.

Sure, it is shelved with the middle-grade books in your local bookstore. The story is about three kids who became orphans and got transferred under the care of their evil.. uhmm.. relative. There are surely other kids' books that are darker than that, right? Right!

But then, ASOUE is a book for children in the surface, but if you begin to read it carefully, think about the theme and the events that actually happen in the entire series, you'd begin to realize that it is actually darker than it lets on. There are scenes that were put up to increase the level of "evilness" for the main antagonist, but they depict more than that. As an example, I'm just gonna leave how Count Olaf repeatedly says how "beautiful" the eldest Baudelaire is, and how actually repulsed Violet is at hearing this. At the first book, he even actually tries to marry her. That is, of course, so that he can share the money the orphan's parents left behind. But if you try to think about it, Olaf might be more menacing than he actually shows. There are also themes of murder. This "murder", or as Olaf likes to cover it up as "mysterious or accidental deaths" is constant to the story as it actually helps in moving the plot forward. There is also arson, which is probably the best plot device the series has to offer considering the nature of its characters. There are also constant portrayal of betrayal and being easily influenced. As a kid though, all these themes didn't give any negative effects on me. As someone who watched cartoons, I knew how turn of events in stories were put to make me hate the antagonist more, and to give more sympathy to the heroes. Lemony Snicket didn't mask anything at all. Growing up rereading the series, I've seen how it was a clear depiction of society. Besides, it wasn't all the dark parts. Lemony Snicket showed motives for skill enhancement and cooperation between friends to overcome obstacles. He showed appreciation for kids to put in effort in doing the things they love. He made this possible through his characters.

2. Reading it is literary education.

It wasn't until I had constant acccess to the internet that I realized just how much literary allusion did Snicket put in his work. And what saddens me more is that I wasn't a reader of classics. Heck, I haven't read any works before ASOUE, so I was kind of lost in the references, and that was probably why I overlooked them. See, Snicket gives utmost importance to reading. He encourages a lot of people to read and understand, to appreciate literature, to identify expressions written in words. As an example, I'll show you some:

• Lemony starts each book with a dedication to "Beatrice", which is possible a reference to Dante Alighieri's unrequited love to Beatrice.

• The Baudelaire name comes from the poet Charles Baudelaire.

• Arthur Poe's name is a reference to the poet Edgar Allan Poe

• Briny Beach's name come from "The Walrus and the Carpenter", a poem in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

• Georgina Orwell refers to George Orwell, and this character resides in an eye-shaped building, which possibly references G. Orwell's famous work, 1984.

The list goes on. If I were to site every single one of them, this would be very long. That's how clever Snicket is in incorporating pieces of other literature into his own work. If you are someone who've read a lot of well-known poems and writers, then you'd probably spot some running references as you read through the series.

3. The characters are no joke.

Seriously, the characters are so well-created it's hard to see them only as entities who exist in a universe created for literature. Starting off with the main characters, Violet Baudelaire is the eldest of the three and has a knack for invention. Klaus, the middle Baudelaire, has a talent for reading and remembering facts from things he reads. Sunny, the youngest and is an infant, well, loves to bite. These three help each other using their skills, and sometimes even switching expertise just to get through their problems. The evil Count Olaf is actually related to them, in some way. He is your average bad guy, but once you got deep enough into the series and know how his story goes, you'd actually realize how he turned out that way. And, should I mention just how well Snicket writes this part? The part where we actually see for the first time that there is humanity in Count Olaf, that he actually feels things and he gets hurt, too? Oh My God that was so genius and emotional I had to sit back and think for a while.

Even the mysterious charcter Beatrice, who we only see as the addresee of Snicket's dedications, she kicks ass too. Once you've realized that ASOUE does not contain a simple plot, you'll see just how much impact Beatrice gave. And she doesn't even exist when the readers starts to know her story. Like any other character who is long gone and works behind the scene (Bertrand, R., other VFD members), they actually do much to get the entire story moving. Not to mention Lemony Snicket himself. Yes. Lemony Snicket, the author of the series, is a character of the series. Yes, he knows the Baudelaires and he knows Count Olaf. Yes, he is heavily involved in the entire mystery of the plot, and yes, the Baudelaire kids, who are the main characters of the story does not even experience more than 50% of the actual happenings of the entire plot. I'm not kidding. These thirteen books show the story of the Baudelaire Children, but once you've gotten deep enough, you'll realize their story only covers a little of the entire plot. I haven't even mentioned Esme Squalor, who is the biggest antagonist next to Count Olaf, each guardian the Baudelaires are being taken to, each and every characters in this story is alive and they are doing things during the journey of the Baudelaires (behind the curtain) to get the entire plot moving.

And truly, character development is real. You don't know how much I disliked Klaus on the first few books. Violet has been steadily growing. And little Sunny, you could actually see the transition on how she grows. Another great thing: it usually is Sunny, despite being the youngest and being an infant, who pushes the final decision and creates great impacts that could rock the story.

4. The art is gorgeous.

I won't have to say much in this part. Just that Brett Helquist is perfect for illustrating ASOUE. Let me just:

Also, the art for its prequel (it's not actually prequel) series is just as gorgeous. It's by Seth, and his art, while bearing no resemblance to Helquist's, is wonderful on it's own. While Helquist's fits well with ASOUE plot, Seth's is more like noir style, which also describes how All the Wrong Questions, the 4-book series actually goes.

5. The plot, theme, and setting fits so well with each other.

The plot, yes. Once the Baudelaires get past the "being-moved-to-another-place-and-another-guardian" part, the plot gets extreme. Here, we finally see a bigger part of the mystery, which basically connects the Baudelaires to Lemony Snicket, the other snickets, Count Olaf, Beatrice, and any other characters they have already met, and will meet in the later parts. This plot drives the theme more into deeper parts without losing it's flow. The theme, which I'd like to consider as dark comedy, actually supports the plot so well, given how Lemony writes it. The author (and character) knows how to use words to explain an event. While educating readers with hard words and idioms, he connects the Baudelaire story in a comical manner. And it is actually funny. You don't know how much I laugh when I read a Snicket book because the humor is so on point. Nevertheless, it never loses the darkness it portrays, considering Lemony usually gives this tactic on parts where the Baudelaires are gravely in danger. The setting, on the other hand, is another thing. Even for me, I can't quite exactly put the timeline of the series. It is usually covered with goth-style elements, but there might actually be some modernness in it, too. The main place where the story first took place is called The City. It is so vague that it becomes beautiful, considering the other places of the story have fancy names and could actually fit inside a map. I was so stoked when some places mentioned in ASOUE were actually mentioned in ATWQ, too.

In the end, Lemony created an entire universe which makes you question which part and which timeline of the world it could possibly belong in. It fascinates me the way its mystery does, because what Lemony always gives out is questions, questions, questions. Sometimes, there are also answers but these answers could be answers to questions you didn't even ask for, and the questions you'd want to know the answers to might never be answered at all. Indeed, he has created a universe with characters who gives much importance to sugar bowls, certain fauna, mushrooms, horseradish, apples, boats, clothes, and most importantly, books.

6. Mystery is on point.

As you could all notice, I've been repeatedly saying the "mystery" in the story. Yes, once the VFD plot is introduced, it's no longer a matter of "I wonder who the Baudelaires will be sent to after the end of this book." It becomes, "What the hell is VFD and what does it stand for?" Once the sugar bowl plot is introduced, another series of questions are added, while the previous questions you had has not been answered yet. On the later half of the series, the VFD plot and the sugar bowl plot is what actually keeps the series going. It's a race between motives of two differing sides, and a race for truth and survival for the Baudelaires. I can't even give you out clear answers to some questions in the mystery because it's all so vague that it's up to the readers on how they'd understand it. The questions you have will keep you going as you discover twist after another, character connection after another, plot climax after another. ASOUE is a quest to find answers, even though you are not even exactly sure what your question is. And believe me, you don't know how much the characters in this story could relate to you once you ask, "What is actually happening and what are we actually fighting for?"

7. The materials for the story are shelf and mind-worthy.

Yes, other support for the series include Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, The Beatrice Letters, The Dismal Dinner, All the Wrong Questions, and and File Under. (The Dismal Dinner is not actually a book, but it supports the story). These actually look good on your shelf if you have them. It's quite pleasing to the eyes. But more importantly, these books are more than just books.

Once I read LS: TUA, I had to read it again to understand everything. And when I did, I still didn't understand anything. You see, this book stands as a, well, autobiography for our author and youngest Snicket sibling, Lemony. Here we see his life since a child, and the dangers and the events he went through as he grows old. So of course, this is heavily VFD-centered. The write-ups are not in constant format and there are various pictures, too. It could contain passages and voice recording transcripts, film scripts, and even song compositions. There are poems too. How you tie this all up to the Baudelaire and VFD plot is the challenge. Believe me, it's kind of hard, but it's so good.

The Beatrice Letters, on the other hand, is written as a collection of letters exchanged by Lemony and Beatrice. You can't possibly appreciate how this exists until you've read it. The play on words Lemony gives to "letter" is mind-blowing. This is another confusing book. We are introduced, like in LS:TUA, new characters that have never appeared in ASOUE.

The Dismal Dinner is a short story of an evening where the Baudelaire parents and Count Olaf were together, just before the Baudelaire mansion was set into flames.

All The Wrong Questions is actually a four-book series where the protagonist is Lemony Snicket himself, when he was twelve years old. This series is so so so so so (repeat infinitely) good that I'd need another blog post to appreciate it. So I'll just stop here. File Under is a support for ATWQ.

8. The fandom.

I don't even know what the official fandom name is? (Haha omg) But I like to call myself as a Snicketeer. But yes, the fandom is not that large compared to other book series (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, etc.), but let me tell you this fandom is alive and back from the dead. Mwuahahaha. I'd say that because the fandom was not that active after the series was released. But it got ressurected the moment Daniel Handler announced the release of ATWQ. From then on, I've followed a lot of ASOUE-themed blogs in Tumblr, and there I saw that I am not alone in appreciating this series. The fandom is not that huge, as I've said before, but they are very active in creating theories and character analyses that it feels as if we've actually created our own VFD. (No, don't glorify VFD) Ignore that. But yes, the fandom is welcoming, but if you were to join I'd really think we should give tours because diving in straight-through it is a wordy journey. But yes, just have a friend who is overly obsessed with ASOUE, ask them questions you are confused about, and you're good to go.

Lol I'm sorry, this makes it so that the fandom has very high standards, but no, everyone is free to join, as long as you share the same burning interest towards the Snicketverse. I've never been in too many fandoms myself. The only other book series fandom I've truly been in is PJO. I could not call myself a hardcore HP fan because I haven't read all the books. But yes, I know in general what it feels like to be in a fandom. But being in this fandom, in ASOUE, particularly, is really different. The people are different. The discoveries the fans create are so satisfying that believe it or not, even after all these years, if I dig in good enough, I still learn something about ASOUE that I haven't had back when I've first read it in 2008. Yes, I am still learning and that is because the fandom is alive, digging through the series and discovering connections, creating theories so well-versed you'd think they are made by Snicket himself.

9. Reading through it is a test of will.

I'd have to say this because reading through ASOUE is really challenging. Firstly, if you are already in the middle-years and have read a lot of other books, mainly romance or YA or action or adventure or anything, you'd actually find it hard to read through thirteen books. They are not long. In fact, the first three books can be read straight in one day. I'm not even kidding. The first book is only a little over 24,000 words. The longest ASOUE book, I think, is not even longer than the first PJO book, so it's not really that long. The challenge here is that it is written FOR children, so Snicket's writing style might be a little off especially if you have read more mature books. Other than that, it is repetitive. Really repetitive that the first five books all have the same flow in story, the sixth and seventh have quite changed since the VFD plot has been introduced, and it's only till the 8th book that we see the course of story has changed. That is why when someone says that they would like to read ASOUE, I just smile and think about how they might not actually get through, or at the very least, reach the fourth book at all.

But Snicket's writing is very clever. If the humor gets you, you'd stay. If the dumbness of the characters ticks you off, then that's unfortunate. But if you get through all that, try to understand why the adults are so dumb and how frustrating it is that nobody listens to the kids, then you are on the track to becoming a Snicket fan.

Let me just share a little of Snicket's antics in writing. He once covered an entire page with "ever" because he was warning the readers not to ever, ever, ever, ever... fiddle around with electronic devices.

Also this bit. I was so mad when I first read this because I thought my mind was playing tricks on me but wow, this was seriously some way of "feeling the situation of the characters".

He also once filled two pages on the book with just black just to illustrate how dark it was on the elevator shaft.

10. It is not everyone's cup of tea.

What's great about masterpieces is that not everyone would find it great. When I was older, I went to the reviews page of the final book of ASOUE and found that not everyone liked how it ended. I, too, as a kid was questioning if that was also the end of it. As I grew older, I realized just how proper that ending was. I realized how it was such a Snicket move. I realized just how much answer it gave me to a question I never asked for.

As I've mentioned before, it takes a lot of willpower to actually finish all thirteen books of ASOUE because it gets quite predictable after the third book. Some might also don't enjoy the writing style at all. Some might say the plot is too simple. Once, I even saw an ask in tumblr that says "You know ASOUE is just a children's book, right? No need to obsess about it." Is that seriously how insignificant children's books are that they are not meant to be appreciated?

ASOUE does not contain fantasy elements that many would prefer, it is much more grounded to reality and the main characters are kids. There is not a lot of romance, but it focuses more on friendship and family. It is not inspirational nor does it portray a real-life event. But it is mind-opening. It makes one think. It makes one laugh. It makes one feel emotions. For me, that is enough to make me obsess over it.

Try to read A Series of Unfortunate Events. If, by the end, you still think it's just a book, that's okay. Of course, I wouldn't force preferences towards people. If you, however, turn out to be interested in the universe, then please, let us answer together what exactly is the importance of the sugar bowl.

#introductionto #asoue