The Basic Eight Still Kicks Ass

Almeda, instead of writing about themes in Othello, began to reread for perhaps the third or fourth time Daniel Handler's The Basic Eight on Sunday night. Daniel Handler, 32, is also the author of Watch Your Mouth and Lemony Snicket's literary, legal, and social representative. "The Basic Eight," Almeda says, "is one of those lovely books which grow better every time you read them again."

On this reading, Almeda noticed for the first time that Peter Lefcourt, author of The Woody and Abbreviating Ernie, was quoted as saying, "Flannery Culp is Holden Caulfield in drag, forty-five years later." Flannery (the narrator) writes, "I don't mean to sound like Salinger's phony-hating phony or anything but at times at Roewer it seems that everybody's phony and brain-dead and that if it weren't for my friends and the few other interesting people I'd go crazy for nothing to do."

Almeda has not read The Catcher in the Rye yet but knows enough about the novel to recognize "phony-hating phony" from helping her friend Katie with an English assignment to correct sentences other students wrote and turned in about The Catcher in the Rye. She was aware that Daniel Handler had read (and, one might assume, is a fan of) Salinger because of the character Esmé Squalor in A Series of Unfortunate Events, so the above two quotations amused her greatly.

"I also realized that the character of Douglas's last name is Wilde. Not coincidentally, Douglas is gay. And then there's Jennifer Rose Milton and probably other clever things I've missed. That's one of the things I love about Daniel Handler. His books are chock-full of literary in-jokes like that, ASoUE especially. He is such a genius!" she gushes, starry-eyed.

"Oh, and then there's the quote '[Natasha] went on to describe some guy she met at the Harvard Summer Program in Comparative Religion. Natasha's always had a fascination with what people worship. Kate says Natasha's actually fascinated that people aren't worshiping her instead.' which I just absolutely love," says Almeda. "Natasha is too cool. And then there's the whole La Boheme thing and the Othello aspect, which should be even more enjoyable now that I've actually read Othello. Daniel Handler rocks!"

Almeda | 10.12.02 18:36 | TrackBack

I still think Natasha is the sexiest book character ever. I

And Daniel Handler is one of my favorite authors ever because he is so damn CLEVER it's not even funny. I've picked up on a lot of references but the number I HAVEN'T picked up on is probably thrice that. I don't even get the Jennifer Rose Milton thing. I am so uncultured. ;-;

I really want to reread The Basic Eight, though I should finish The Lovely Bones first. Talking of which, that book has sort of deteriorated in the past few chapters but I'm hoping it will pick up again. It jumped too quickly from the 1973/1974 era and just started skipping through the next few years and it was weird. But I'm hoping there's a point. XP

Posted by: ©ö|îñ on 10.12.02 15:40

http://www.thelowell.org/features/1999-00/feb15-basic8/basic8.html

http://www.thelowell.org/features/1999-00/feb15-basic8/teachers.html

Go to these links and you'll see that all Handler's character names are chosen for a reason: most of them are based on real teachers from his old high school, "Lowell". Sound familiar?

Flannery is my favourite murderer ever.

Posted by: Katie on 02.09.03 03:55

Milton wrote Paradise Lost, that's all. Once I noticed the Oscar Wilde reference, I took a second look at all the other character's last names. =)

That part of The Lovely Bones bothered me as well, but you get over it.

Posted by: Almeda on 11.12.02 03:22

I tried to read Lucky and The Lovely Bones, Colin, but it's so disturbing. I spent a night in hysteric fear and my parents had to calm me down, and I thought maybe it wasn't a good idea for me to read those anymore. *shudder* I just get into things too much.

Daniel Handler = the Man! Except you should TOTALLY read Catcher in the Rye because it is lovely.

Posted by: Nina on 11.12.02 04:04

Catcher in the Rye is an excellent book. However, if you do not wish to be depressed for hours after each reading session, then I would recommend a more upbeat book such as "Salt: A World History."

Posted by: I thought about calling Yan, but then I didn't on 11.12.02 14:16

First off, Katie, its murderess, goddamnit, get it right. Second, I don't think I can even begin to explain how cool Daniel Handler. He's so BomB. Seriously, he is definitely the coolest author of our, well my, time.
Third, Catcher in the Rye always remind me of the whole 'John Lennon being shot by the guy with the Catcher in the Rye book' so I have thus far refrianed from reading it. I dunno, maybe I should.

Posted by: jj the jet plane on 07.06.04 23:32