Gustav Sebald
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| A Series of Unfortunate Events character | |
 |
|
| Dr. Gustav Sebald | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Fair |
| Age | Adult 1 |
| Film actor | None |
| 1st appearance | Mentioned in The Reptile Room |
| V.F.D. alliance | Volunteer |
Gustav Sebald (usually known as Dr. Sebald) is a fictional film director and former assistant to Uncle Monty in Lemony Snicket's book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sebald directed Zombies in the Snow (mentioned in the second novel in the series, The Reptile Room). His name is probably derived from W. G. Sebald.
Sebald is on the volunteers' side of V.F.D. and uses his role as a director to send secret messages to volunteers through his films using the Sebald Code.
[edit] The Sebald Code
When a ringing sound is heard, the code is activated. Every eleventh word plus the first word after the first ringing sound is a word of the code. When the ringing is heard again, the code ends. A typical scene from a film might go like this:
- (Doorbell rings)
- Gertrude: This is a very pleasant surprise! Please come in, Bob!
- Bob: How is Ebenezer?
- Gertrude: He is very ill. I have to give him an injection every hour.
- Bob: That's a shame. He once was an example of good health.
- Gertrude: For comfort he looks at old photos of when he was healthier. I took him to see Dr Sebald, but it seemed as if he was just talking in code.
- (Alarm clock rings)
- Gertrude: He must need another pill. Coming, Ebenezer!
- (All leave)
In this example, the decoded message is "This is an example of Sebald Code."
The code relies on the actors speaking the words perfectly and on the viewer being able to notice the scene. The movies Zombies in the Snow and Ants in the Fruit Salad, page 67 of The Penultimate Peril, one letter from Lemony Snicket to Beatrice Baudelaire in The Beatrice Letters and wedding invitations from the Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes feature the Sebald code.
Uncle Monty's death could be attributed to the fact that he never learnt Sebald Code; Sebald sent him a message about Count Olaf that Monty could not understand. Sebald himself is presumed dead, and his estate is being handled by his sister, Sally Sebald. Due to evidence provided in The Reptile Room and Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, it is believed that Gustav Sebald was drowned by Count Olaf.
The code is used throughout the Unauthorized Autobiography. The only known use of the code in the novels is in The Penultimate Peril. In chapter three, page 67, Frank Denouement (presumably not his brother Ernest) uses the code to relate the following message to the Baudelaires: "I can't tell if you are in or enemies. Please respond."
[edit] Note
1 In the photograph (above) from Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Sebald is depicted as either a very young child or, possibly, a very short adult. The picture's caption is "A rare picture of Dr. Sebald himself beginning work on the snowman."
(a.k.a. Daniel Handler)
Illustrated by Brett Helquist
