The Marvelous Metafiction: Investigating the Literary in Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events

A Series of Unfortunate Events delighted readers young and old with far more than clever mysteries and harrowing hijinks. The books celebrate language itself, packed with wacky definitions and Sunny’s playful puns. Idioms rise to a new level as the books curve their plots to literalize barking up the wrong tree or being in the belly of the beast. The Netflix show adds even more fun, while All the Wrong Questions blends a celebration of children’s novels with noir parodies. All this helps juvenile readers expand their vocabularies while cultivating a love of clever wordplay. In this volume, it’s all explained: the parodies of classics, the double entendres, the subtle references many have missed. It’s a lighthearted romp through this deeply nuanced series, revealing how clever it truly is.