Orczy and Sarah Juliette Sasson - The Scarlet Pimpernel

Looking for an interesting classic to read over the holidays? Try the story of the first masked hero, the "Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Orczy.

Originally of Hungarian descent, while Orczy wrote this book a century after the French Revolution, she keenly captures the essence of human survival, even if its those of aristocrats. However, don't expect to read the anti-thesis of "A Tale of Two Cities". Instead the Scarlet Pimpernel is a high spirited novel of adventure, romance and political intrigue, with none of the tear jerking or moral lessons to be expected from most classics highlighting the revolution.

The story revolves around the escapades of a masked crusader who leaves a characteristic signature of the scarlet pimpernel, a tiny wayside flower found in the English countryside. During the peak of the French revolution, the British aristocracy were wrought with sympathy at the fate of their contemporaries in Paris but yet, their hands were tied, except for one man, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and his tightly knit band. As the French government in desperation sought ways to capture this elusive creature, they turned to the one person who had the keys to his identity as well as his heart. It is a characteristic feature of this novel that not even his wife knew his real identity and as a result considered him "slow". However as things turned out, she and the information of which she was a "Typhoid Mary-esque" carrier would play a pivotal role in the development of the plot. What happens next? Get ready for a thrilling ride which captures the majestic splendour with which the English aristocracy lived, as well as the squalid surroundings of Paris at the time.

Baroness Orczy will not appear as the most eloquent of writers but she still manages to use imagery into good effect especially when describing some of the lavish balls that aristocracy are accustomed to attending. Her lack of expertise with the pen has an unintended benefit however, which is that of being easily readable by anyone over 11 or 12. I first read this book in grade 7 when it was given to me by my grandfather as a birthday present and I must have read it dozens of times since, each time with a new light of the situations.

If only today's movie screenwriters paid more attention to character development, we would have more believable fare than the laughable action/adventure movies in the past couple years. In contrast the character development here is impeccable and does the uncanny job of tying in perfectly with the story-line. I suppose that is why it is a classic after all.

Our hero's identity, although it can be guessed quite early on in the novel, is irresistibly suppressed until the very last moment which only acts to fuel the fires of suspense. There is also a tangible romance between the two central characters that present both with moral dilemmas. One of Baroness Orczy's greatest talents in this novel is also the creation of visible chemistry between the two protagonists and if political intrigue, adventure and travel don't interest you, then romance certainly will.

Given all this, there is a significant reason why I cannot rate this a 5-star novel. It lies within the twisted traditions of the author. Remember that after all, she IS a Baroness of somewhere and blood is most definitely thicker than water. I would have been content if she had stopped with barely disguised disapproval of regular French civilians but clear revulsion and disgust for all non-nobility especially the French are disarmingly apparent here. It would have been acceptable if her work was written during the time of the revolution, but a century afterwards, when France as a republic was setting her course, is quite inexcusable and can only be ascribed to personal experiences. Her vocabulary in civilian descriptions include a liberal dispersion of the words, "filthy" and "scoundrel" and there is no attempt to hide this. Paris of that area is described as a squalid place, and even those in French government are composed only of evil intent. There is also the sad stereotypical miserly role of a "dirty Jew" that spoiled my submersion into this classic.

So why am I even recommending this novel? Well, despite the bias of the author, the book is astoundingly well written and all aspiring writers (take note, Hollywood screenwriters) can learn from it. It is a study of how to introduce character development within the context of the plot to a sufficient extent such that the novel is also kept measurably short by most standards.

Another, and my favorite reason, is the famous "masked man" concept. The Scarlet Pimpernel is probably the first novel written representative of a caped crusader ala Superman, Zorro, Batman and a host of other characters. The mystery behind the man in the "mask" or the man of many disguises, as is most apt to describe the Scarlet Pimpernel, was for me the most compelling element of this novel, and I think you won't be disappointed.