A Series of Unfortunate Events or the Common Law

Abstract

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events mirrors the scholarly praxis of the common law, encoding a doctrine of virtue from diligent study. This doctrine promotes critical literacy as a means of achieving justice, linking with the textual adjudication of state power found in the archive and practice of the common law. The doctrine also requires at the same time that this literacy be inhabited by its readers. In its translation to a Netflix series, this doctrine is misinterpreted: the TV series does not inculcate the cinematic or televisual literacy required by its form, but presents an appearance of bookish study and scholarly endeavour in lieu of its actual undertaking. Within a broader context of the marketisation of higher education-including legal education-in which space for the undertaking of scholarly endeavour is increasingly compressed, the misinterpretation of such a valuable doctrine should not pass without concern. I'm afraid this dreadful nonsense is the law. 1The Predictable Premise Lemony Snicket's account of the Baudelaire orphans are tales not just of horror and misfortune, but of the virtues of scholarly praxis. They promote a devotion to textual endeavour and the practical application of learning to the vicissitudes of life ('vicissitudes' is a word which here means 'a series of unfortunate events' 2 ); to virtue through bookish study and the practical application of knowledge. The current paper, meanwhile, is a second-hand academic analysis and tedious repetition of the book's lesson; unless you want to feel vaguely bored and irritated, it is probably best that you do not read any further. 3