From Lemony Snicket’s “When Did You Last See Her?”:
“It’s complicated,” I said. “It’s like a story so long that you end up getting lost in it. Do you know that one about the big fight over an apple and a pretty woman?”
“The one that ends with a hollow statue and a ghost who likes to bury things? My father was reading me that when he disappeared.”
Woman with apple sounds Eve-like, and hollow statues remind me of the Trojan horse. But this is a mid-grade series, and the other somewhat opaque references (of which there are many) have been to more age-appropriate books. Lord of the Rings, Little House in the Big Woods, and Pippi Longstockings, for instance. I’ve tried Googling but haven’t managed to come up with anything. How about you?
The big fight over the apple was the precursor to the Trojan War. Athena, Hera and Aphrodite fight over a golden apple with the inscription, “To the Fairest.” They find a poor boy to judge which of the three is the fairest, and each offers him a suitable bribe. Athema offers to make him a great warrior, Hera offers him the kingship over Europe and Asia and Aphrodite offers to get him laid. I mean, have the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. He takes Aphrodite’s bribe and declares her the Fairest of the three.
One teeny tiny problem - the most beautiful woman in the world was already married. To a king. Oopsie!
[del]Hilarity[/del] war ensues.
The hollow statue, of course, is the Trojan horse. But before that, the ghost is the ghost of one of the soldiers in the war, Patroclus, who is killed during a battle. His death drives his commander/boyfriend Achilles a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, and he commits some horrid atrocities (by Greek standards) until Patroclus’s ghost come to Achilles in a dream and tells him to bury his bones in an urn (with the subtext of, “and stop acting like an asshole.”)
So, it’s The Trojan War, all three references.
Lemony Snickett is written for kids, but it’s not patronizing to kids. There are references in there designed to go just ever so slightly over their heads, to inspire research. And also so the parents reading the books with their kids don’t go stark raving bonkers from boredom.
ETA: Oh, and in the school district my mom taught in, The Trojan War was covered in sixth grade social studies, which is the age some of the readers are (although I think the books are written for a bit younger.) So if they’re ignorant of the reference, they won’t be for long. I daresay many sixth graders could tell you more about The Trojan War than many 60 year olds.
I was still at a Lutheran school in sixth grade, which might explain why I don’t remember the bit about the ghost, and definitely explains why I think Genesis when I think apples, and not the golden apple. Come to think of it, even my public schooling wasn’t that in-depth about that chunk of history and mythology. Sounds like something to read once I finish my Powell’s haul. (Dodger by Terry Pratchett, Nick Offerman’s new book, and both All the Wrong Questions by Snicket.)
A Series of Unfortunate Events is full of references that adults might find difficult, let alone children. Perhaps the new series does too. At one point, for instance, Sunny says “Sandover,” and it’s clear that it’s a reference to this work:
@Wendell Wagner- the nice thing about ASoUe is that when I was reading them at first publication I was young enough to not care if I didn’t get the references. Now that I’m in my mid-20s and dipping back into Snicket as the written equivalent of comfort food, I feel like I should get them. Although from what you’ve linked and what I remember of the Baudelaire-focused stories, it seems like the references in All the Wrong Questions are less obtuse- and more overtly of the literary genre, which makes it easier to look up.
Thanks! My mom was that sixth grade teacher who taught Greek (and Roman and Egyptian) mythology, and she loved that unit, so I absorbed a lot.
Although I’m still waiting for someone to argue with me that Patroclus wasn’t Achilles’ boyfriend. I don’t really have much of a defense, except that’s how I learned it and I like the dramatic punch it gives to Achilles’ story. But I hear it’s not universally accepted, and that some people believe they were just really really good friends. [del]With benefits.[/del]
I don’t really have much of a defense, except that’s how I learned it and I like the dramatic punch it gives to Achilles’ story. But I hear it’s not universally accepted, and that some people believe they were just really really good friends. [del]With benefits.[/del]