The Bad Beginning
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(first in series) | The Reptile Room >>
The Bad Beginning is the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, written by Lemony Snicket.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary
Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are enjoying a day at Briny Beach. Mr. Poe, a banker and friend of the family, arrives to inform them that their parents have perished in a fire that destroyed their home. Mr. Poe is the executor of the Baudelaire fortune, and it is his responsibility to place the children with a guardian and take care of their money until Violet turns eighteen (the legal age to handle money).
The Baudelaire children are taken to their new guardian Count Olaf, a distant relative who makes his living as an actor. On their way, they encounter Justice Strauss, a kind and friendly judge who is their next-door neighbor. She tells them that they are welcome in her home anytime, which has a library in it. When they meet Count Olaf, it turns out that he is a very cruel, filthy man living in a dirty musty house. Count Olaf has a strange tattoo of an eye on his left ankle, but most importantly, he is seeking the Baudelaire fortune (the reason for their adoption). He constantly orders them to do chores and tasks, while only providing them with one bed to sleep in. Count Olaf also refers to them as "orphans" instead of "children".
He tells the Baudelaires that his theater troupe are coming over to practice their acting, and orders them to make dinner for everyone. Because they don't have any ingredients, they go to the marketplace with Justice Strauss to buy some and are able to make Pasta Puttanesca. Count Olaf complains that he wanted roast beef (even though he never told them), which causes him to become furious and strike Klaus across the face. They decide to visit Mr. Poe at his bank in order to get help. Mr. Poe explains to them that Olaf may raise them in his own way, however he sees fit (loco parentis). Count Olaf receives a phone call from Mr. Poe about the visit. He apologizes to the children and informs them that they will be participating in an upcoming play, called The Marvelous Marriage written by Al Funcoot (an anagram of Count Olaf). Olaf will play the groom, Violet will be the bride, and Klaus and Sunny will be cheering people in the audience.
The children spend the day at Justice Strauss' home. While Violet and Sunny are helping in the garden, Klaus is reading law books in the library. One of Olaf's henchman, the Hook-Handed Man comes to get them. Klaus smuggles a book on nuptial law out of the library with him. When they arrive at Count Olaf's, Klaus spends the entire night reading about how they can foil Count Olaf's scheme to get their fortune. The next morning, Klaus discovers that two people can be married if they sign a document and state their wedding vows in the presence of a legal judge (who is Justice Strauss). Olaf plans to marry Violet during the play, in order to gain control of their fortune. When Klaus brings it up to Count Olaf, he only smiles and laughs. Klaus runs to wake up his sisters only to find that Sunny is not there. Violet and Klaus follow Olaf outside and discover that Sunny is being held inside a birdcage at the top of the tower.
Count Olaf tells them that one of his henchmen has kidnapped Sunny while they were sleeping. He warns them that if they don't cooperate during the play, the cage will be released which will send Sunny to her death. That night, Violet invents a grappling hook to reach the top of the tower, only to be caught and locked with her brother at the top of the tower until the play begins.
The play is performed, but stops after the wedding scene when Olaf announces that he is recently married to Violet. Justice Strauss attempts to find a loophole to save Violet, but the only way to stop it from being legal is that Violet is underage, which doesn't matter since she can still be married with a guardian's permission (since Olaf is her guardian, this point is shot down). When Sunny is returned to them, Violet announces that she is right-handed but signed the document with her left hand, which Justice Strauss agrees is a reason to declare the marriage invalid. Olaf escapes when one of his henchmen turns off the theater's lights. Violet finds the light switch, but before she is able to turn it on, she hears a whisper from Count Olaf. He tells her that he will always pursue them, and once he manages to get their fortune, he will kill them with his own hands. After the play, Justice Strauss announces that she is willing to adopt the Baudelaires, but Mr. Poe tells her that their parent's will says a relative must care for them. They enter Mr. Poe's car and it drives away as Justice Strauss waves goodbye.
[edit] Letter From Lemony Snicket
This is a letter to all the readers of Lemony Snicket books:
Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
[edit] Outstanding Character Moments
- Count Olaf actually striking Klaus across the face, then acting as if he had done something very brave.
- Violet inventing the large grappling hook, and attempting to help Sunny.
- Klaus staying up all night, reading up on Nuptial law, then confronting Olaf in the morning.
- Both Violet and Klaus for looking through all of Olaf's things in his Tower Room in order to formulate a plan.
- Violet for signing the marriage certificate with her left hand instead of her right, making the marriage null.
[edit] References
[edit] V.F.D. References
- This is the first time we see the tattoo of V.F.D., on Count Olaf's left ankle.
[edit] Real World References and Allusions
- The last name Baudelaire is a reference to Charles Baudelaire, a French poet. An excerpt from his poem "Le Voyage", from Les Fleurs du Mal, appears in The End.
- Mr. Poe's surname, Poe, and the names of his children, Edgar and Albert, are obvious allusions to Edgar Allan Poe.
- Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire share their names with Claus and Sunny von Bülow, who were involved in a famous court case of the 1980s; the district attorney who defended Claus was named Violet.
- Violet Baudelaire is also possibly a reference to a famous crime; she shares her given name with Violet Sharpe, a suspect of the Lindbergh kidnapping.
- Beatrice is likely a reference to Beatrice Portinari, the unrequited love of Dante Alighieri.
[edit] Book Editions
There were five book editions released: The Bad Beginning, The Bad Beginning (UK), The Bad Beginning or, Ophans!, The Bad Beginning: Special Edition, and The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition.
The Bad Beginning |
 The Bad Beginning (UK) |
 The Bad Beginning or, Ophans! |
 The Bad Beginning: Special Edition |
 The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition |
[edit] The Bad Beginning
The Bad Beginning is a novel by Daniel Handler, written under his pen name Lemony Snicket, and the first of thirteen books in the A Series of Unfortunate Events collection. It features the three recently orphaned Baudelaire children, 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and baby Sunny, who are given into the care of a distant cousin, Count Olaf, who only wants the fortune Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire left behind.
[edit] The Bad Beginning (UK)
This is the original book as released in the United Kingdom.
[edit] The Bad Beginning or, Orphans!
The Bad Beginning or, Orphans! is a paperback rerelease of The Bad Beginning, designed to mimic Victorian penny dreadfuls. It was released on May 8, 2007. The book features a new full-colour cover, seven new illustrations, and the first part of a serial supplement entitled The Cornucopian Cavalcade, which in this edition includes the first of 13-part comic entitled The Spoily Brats along with a page of Victorian-era false advertisements, both produced by Michael Kupperman, an advice column written by Lemony Snicket along with a page listing every entry in A Series of Unfortunate Events (some of which are fictional), the first part of a story entitled Q: A Psychic Pstory of the Psupernatural by Stephen Leacock, and a guide by Morley Adams on paper folding.
[edit] The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition
Another edition of The Bad Beginning was published by Harper Collins in September 2003; it is known as The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition. This boxed edition comes with a new cover, a portrait of the characters and an extra chapter filled with author's notes, many of which occasionally foreshadow later events in the series. However, each of the notes, particularly the ones relating to The End, proved accurate or were addressed by later books in the series.
[edit] The Bad Beginning: Special Edition and The Bad Beginning: Limited Edition
Two more editions of The Bad Beginning were published by Egmont Publishing on Oct 1, 2003; known as The Bad Beginning: Special Edition, and The Bad Beginning: Limited Edition, they come in a larger format and contain three plates of color artwork that are redrawn from the original edition of the book and two plates of new color artwork. The Limited Edition is bound in leather and contained within a box, similar to the Rare Edition, and each copy was signed by Daniel Handler. Contrary to the description on the UnfortunateEvents.com website, they do not contain any endnotes as the Rare Edition does.
[edit] Reviews
The Bad Beginning was given positive reviews, though the series has been banned in some states in the US. (Needs citation).
