History Literature / LemonySnicketTheUnauthorizedAutobiography

The Unauthorized Autobiography is one of the supplementary materials for ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents.

* ScrapbookStory: Filled with photographs, maps, pamphlets, ticket stubs, letters, drawings, transcripts, pages from screenplays, newspaper articles, invitations, sheet music, pages from books, and various other paraphernalia.

* PaintingTheFourthWall: The copyright page and indices.

* ScrapbookStory: Filled with photographs, maps, pamphlets, drawings, transcripts, and various other paraphernalia.

NeedsMoreExamples.

* BaitAndSwitch: A letter from the Duchess R is accompanied by an unlabeled photograph of herself with Kit Snicket. [[spoiler:Along with another unlabeled picture, which they ''told'' everyone was of them, but really wasn't]].

* AllThereInTheManual: For readers who don't mind doing a bit of work.

* AntiquatedLinguistics: The members of VFD are scrupulously polite and formal--with a few notable exceptions. Mr. Snicket, for one, always says "engaged to be married" rather than "engaged".

* LongList: Several, most notably the one in the transcript of a VFD meeting composed of nine-year-old members.

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: A letter, supposedly sent from the Duchess R, is filled with errors that she would never have made. [[spoiler:Or, errors she might have made as a coded signal that all was not well.]] [[spoiler:Or, errors she might have made due to disruptions in her training which were caused by constant moving of the VFD Headquarters.]]

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: The members of VFD in general, as exemplified in the transcript of a VFD meeting:

** A photograph labeled with the name of film director and doctor Gustav Sebald on the set of one of his movies, depicts a young child. Whether this is an error, a photograph of the doctor in his youth, or an indication that he directed more than 17 films and earned a doctorate before puberty, is unclear.

* MasterOfDisguise: [[PaperThinDiguise Parodied]] with the Disguise portion of the volunteer training programme. Phase One: Veiled Facial Disguises is simply one person with different expressions. In Phase Two: Various Finery Disguises, a photo of a volunteer, B, with "her actual face and regular clothing"--an attractive young woman in elaborate gypsy attire--is accompanied by a picture of an old man. The label describes B (now calling herself D) as completely unrecognizable with the Various Finery Disguises. [[spoiler:Particularly with the older gentleman standing in front of her.]]

* MistakenForDead: Mr. Snicket.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Mr. Snicket.

* BaitAndSwitch: A letter from the Duchess R is accompanied by an unlabeled photograph of herself with Kit Snicket... [[spoiler:along with another unlabeled picture, which they ''told'' everyone was of them, but really wasn't]].

* MasterOfDisguise: Parodied with the Disguise portion of the volunteer training programme. Phase One: Veiled Facial Disguises is simply one person with different expressions. In Phase Two: Various Finery Disguises, a photo of a volunteer, B, with "her actual face and regular clothing"--an attractive young woman in elaborate gypsy attire--is accompanied by a picture of an old man. The label describes B (now calling herself D) as completely unrecognizable with the Various Finery Disguises. [[spoiler:Particularly with the older gentleman standing in front of her.]]

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: A letter, supposedly sent from the Duchess R, is filled with errors that she would never have made. [[spoiler:Or, errors she might have made as a coded signal that all was not well.]] [[strike:Or, errors might have made due to disruptions in her training caused by constant moving of the VFD Headquarters.]]

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: A letter, supposedly sent from the Duchess R, is filled with errors that she would never have made, according to Mr. Snicket.

* Understatement: Many.

* LongList: Several, most notably the one in the transcript of a VFD meeting composed of nine-year-old members.

The story begins with a packet of information on reclusive author and fugitive Lemony Snicket, which changed hands from the aunt of a gentleman, to aforementioned gentleman, to another gentleman, to a woman, to a doorman, and then to the people who later gave it to Daniel Handler, who gives the introduction to the Autobiography.

Divided into thirteen chapters entitled with questions, which are promptly scratched out and replaced with more relevant (though less illuminating) questions, it answers none of them. However, it does give a lot of behind-the-scenes information on Lemony Snicket and the V.F.D. as a whole. As it was published before the completion of A Series of Unfortunate Events, yet dropped several well-buried hints, extremely careful readers were spoiled for the end of the series.

* AmbiguousSyntax: Often.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: The members of VFD are scrupulously polite and formal--with a few notable exceptions.

** [-Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for several hours.-]

* GrammarNazi: Usually in conjunction with AmbiguousSyntax. Another editor's note stated that "Some of the photographs in this book were taken by Julie Blattberg", which was promptly followed by a note from Mr. Snicket.
** [-''To My Kind Editor,''-]\\
[-''Please rewrite another editor's note to read as follows:''-]\\
[-''Some of the photographs in this book were not taken by Julie Blattberg.''-]\\
[-''-LS''-]

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: A letter, supposedly sent from the Duchess R, is filled with errors she would never have made.

** [-'''R:''' I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.-]
** A photo labeled with the name of film director and doctor Gustav Sebald on the set of one of his movies, depicts a young child. Whether this is an error, or an indication that he directed more than 17 films and earned a doctorate before puberty, is unclear.

** [-Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold as bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for several hours.-]

** [-'''R:''' I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.-]

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Lemony.

* BaitAndSwitch: A letter from the Duchess R is accompanied by an unlabeled photograph of herself with Kit Snicket... [[spoiler:along with another unlabeled picture, which they ''told'' everyone was of them, but really wasn't]]. The two pictures contain a pair of young girls and a pair of young women, so it is unclear which is which.

* TheFaceless: Photographs of Lemony never reveal his face.

* [[{{MistakenForMurderer}} Mistaken For Arsonist]]: Lemony.

--> R: I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.

** --> R: I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.

** -->R: I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.

** ->R: I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.

->R: I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: The members of VFD in general, as exemplified by one of the Rs:\\
->"I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members

-->"I'm nine years old, but I'm concerned that this kind of disruption will seriously affect our younger members

* [[{{MistakenForMurderer Mistaken For Arsonist]]: Lemony.

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: A letter, supposedly sent from the Duchess R, is filled with errors she would never have made.

* MistakenForDead: Lemony.

Divided into thirteen chapters entitled with questions, which are promptly scratched out and replaced with more relevant (though less illuminating) questions, it answers none of them. However, it does give a lot of behind-the-scenes information on Lemony Snicket and the V.F.D. as a whole. As it was published before the completion of A Series of Unfortunate Events, yet dropped several well-buried hints, extremely careful readers were spoiled for the end of the series.

-->-- -L. S.