page_title: A Series of Unfortunate Events
section_title: Criticism
hierarchical_section_title: A Series of Unfortunate Events / Reception / Criticism
caption_attribution_description: English: A series of \unfortunate Events - all 13 books plus The Unauthorized Autobiography. Čeština: Řada nešťastných příhod - všech 13 dílů plus Neautorizovaná autobiografie
context_page_description: A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of thirteen novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. Although they are classified "children's novels", the books often have a dark, mysterious feeling to them. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their parents' death in a fire, the children are placed in the custody of a murderous relative, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance and, later, orchestrates numerous disasters with the help of his accomplices as the children attempt to flee. As the plot progresses, the Baudelaires gradually confront further mysteries surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society known as V.F.D., with connections to Olaf, their parents, and many other relatives. The series is narrated by Lemony Snicket, who dedicates each of his works to his deceased love interest, Beatrice, and often attempts to dissuade the reader from reading the Baudelaires' story.
context_section_description: The series has come under criticism from some school districts for its dark themes. Criticisms include the suggested incest in Olaf's attempt to marry his distant cousin Violet in The Bad Beginning (though his motivation was not sexual but financial). Use of the words "damn" and "hell" in The Reptile Room has also been criticized. Handler later commented that the  use of "damn" was "precipitated by a long discussion of how one should never say this word, since only a villain would do so vile a thing! This is exactly the lily-liveredness of children's books that I can't stand."
  Access to the books was similarly restricted at Katy ISD Elementary School in Katy, Texas.  The series has also been criticized for formulaic and repetitive storytelling.
caption: Czech translation
exif: {"Image Make": "HP", "Image Model": "HP Scanjet djf300", "Image XResolution": "200", "Image YResolution": "200", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ReferenceBlackWhite": "[0, 255, 128, 255, 128, 255]", "Image ExifOffset": "204", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:10:08 17:01:18", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1026", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "686", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF DeviceSettingDescription": "[1, 0, 19, 0, 32, 32, 32, 48, 65, 48, 32, 32, 32, 55, 65, 48, 32, 32, 32, 56, ... ]"}