The Bad Beginning:

Is A Series of Unfortunate Events a reflection of challenged representations and problems within the public sphere?                 

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Well, that’s what this blog is going to explore in great detail! 

I shall be diving head first into a range of arguments surrounding my case study: A Series of Unfortunate Events and analysing them with two key concepts. 

There shall be many parts to this essay as I am aiming to contextualise my case study in order for key elements to be understood, before I move onto analysing the case study with my key concepts in mind. I will also question my thoughts and findings and see if my views of representation and the public sphere have been modified, before drawing all my findings together and forming an answer to my question. 

My main argument in particular being the portrayal of age, in context of my first concept: Representation of age in children and adults, and how this is challenged throughout the series. I shall also look at whether the series hints and, or highlights any hidden issues within our society and the public sphere, which shall be my second concept. 

This topic in particular is being explored as age representation has a huge role in my case study due to the protagonists being children trying to survive in the adult world – this means the representations can be questioned, challenged, considered, and scenes from my case study that are interpreted as controversial can be explored for possible hidden meanings, opinions and issues, relating to my second concept: The Public Sphere. 

This shall be done by briefly researching into topics such as Adultism: “Adultism is further related to the tendency to believe that all adults are superior in all skills and virtues to all children” (Flasher 1978, p517), and how this impacts the representations of age within the case study. I shall also be highlighting a few key issues bought to light by the series, that are possibly real-world reflections of issues involving children. Such as the age of consent, and neglect within adopted/fostered children, hence the relevance of the public sphere. I shall also look at the acknowledgement of these issues by the public and the media are enough to form basic ideologies that create a general opinion, and change the way laws and policies are implemented into society. 

Now, lets begin:

              


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