Genre
Gothic children's novel
Setting and Context
A dark and dreary city that isn't named.
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told from the perspective of Lemony Snicket, who devotes his life to telling the story of the Baudelaire children.
Tone and Mood
The tone is dark, sometimes humorous, and macabre.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The three children are the protagonists and Count Olaf is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the book is Count Olaf's attempt to steal the Baudelaire fortune.
Climax
The climax of the book is the wedding between Violet and Count Olaf, which doesn't go according to plan.
Foreshadowing
The narrator calls the children terribly unlucky, which foreshadows the terrible luck they have in this book.
Understatement
Count Olaf severely underestimates how intelligent the children are.
Allusions
Mr. Poe's name is an allusion to the Gothic writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe.
Imagery
The narrator uses imagery to describe how dreary and dirty Count Olaf's home is:
"The bricks were stained with soot and grime. There were only two small windows, which were closed with the shades drawn even though it was a nice day... The entire building sagged to the side, like a crooked tooth."
Paradox
In this novel, the children are seemingly the only characters with any sense, while the adults usually aren't aware of what is going on.
Parallelism
Count Olaf and Justice Strauss are paralleled and contrasted in this novel. While Count Olaf is depicted as the worst guardian you could imagine, Justice Strauss is the opposite as she is kind and caring.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
