The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernelis the first novel in a series ofhistorical fictionbyBaroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having opened in Nottingham in 1903.
The novel is set during theReign of Terrorfollowing the start of theFrench Revolution. The title is thenom de guerreof its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads adouble life: apparently nothing more than a wealthyfop, but in reality, a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking master of disguise and escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of hissecret identity. He is known by his symbol, a simple flower, the scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis).
Opening at theNew Theatrein London'sWest Endon 5 January 1905, the play became a favourite of British audiences, eventually playing more than 2,000 performances and becoming one of the most popular shows staged in London. Published after the success of the play, the novel was an immediate success, gaining Orczy a following of readers in Britain and the rest of the world. The stage play and subsequent novel, with their hero and villain, were so popular that they inspired a revival of classic villainy at the time.
Orczy's premise of a daring hero who cultivates a secret identity disguised by a meek or ineffectual manner proved enduring.Zorro,Doctor Syn,the Shadow,the Spider,the Phantom,SupermanandBatmanfollowed within a few decades, and thetroperemains a popular one inserial fictiontoday. Read byStan Leeas a boy, theMarvelco-creator called The Scarlet Pimpernel "the first character who could be called a superhero."
In 1792, an early stage of theFrench Revolution, Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French actress, is married to wealthy EnglishfopSir Percy Blakeney,baronet. Before their marriage Marguerite took revenge upon the Marquis de St. Cyr, who had ordered her brother beaten for his romantic interest in the Marquis' daughter, with the unintended consequence that the Marquis and his sons wereguillotined. When Percy found out, he became estranged from his wife. Marguerite, for her part, became disillusioned with Percy's shallow,dandyishlifestyle.
Meanwhile, the "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel", asecret societyof twenty English aristocrats, "one to command, and nineteen to obey", is engaged in rescuing their French counterparts from the daily executions of theReign of Terror. Their leader, the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel, takes hisnom de guerrefrom thesmall, wayside red flowerhe draws on his messages. Despite being the talk of London society, only his followers and possibly thePrince of Walesknow the Pimpernel's true identity. Like many others, Marguerite is entranced by the Pimpernel's daring exploits.
At a ball attended by the Blakeneys, Percy's verse about the "elusive Pimpernel" becomes an instant success. But Marguerite is beingblackmailedbyCitizen Chauvelin, the wily new French envoy to England: Chauvelin's agents have stolen a letter proving that her beloved brother Armand is in league with the Pimpernel. Chauvelin offers to trade Armand's life for her help against the Pimpernel. Contemptuous of her seemingly witless and unloving husband, Marguerite does not go to him for help or advice. Instead, she passes along information which enables Chauvelin to learn the Pimpernel's true identity.
Later that night, Marguerite finally tells her husband of the terrible danger threatening her brother and pleads for his help. Percy promises to save him. After Percy unexpectedly leaves for France, Marguerite discovers to her horror (and simultaneous delight) thatheis the Pimpernel. He had hidden behind the persona of a dull, slow-witted fop to deceive the world. He had not told Marguerite because of his worry that she might betray him, as she had the Marquis de St. Cyr. Desperate to save her husband, she decides to pursue Percy to France to warn him that Chauvelin knows his identity and his purpose. She persuades Sir Andrew Ffoulkes to accompany her, but because of the tide and the weather, neither they nor Chauvelin can leave immediately.
AtCalais, Percy openly approaches Chauvelin in theChat gris, a decrepit inn whose owner is in Percy's pay. Despite Chauvelin's best efforts, the Englishman escapes by offering Chauvelin a pinch ofsnuff, which turns out to be pure pepper. Through a bold plan executed right under Chauvelin's nose, Percy rescues Marguerite's brother Armand and the Comte de Tournay, the father of a schoolfriend of Marguerite's. Marguerite pursues Percy right to the very end, determined to either warn him or share his fate. Percy, heavily disguised, is captured by Chauvelin, who does not recognise him, so he is able to escape.
With Marguerite's love and courage amply proven, Percy's ardour is rekindled. Safely back on board their schooner, theDay Dream, the happily reconciled couple returns to England. Sir Andrew marries the count's daughter, Suzanne.
The title character, Sir Percy Blakeney, a wealthy English fop who transforms into a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist, established the "hero with asecret identity" in popular culture, a trope that would be seen in subsequent literary creations such as Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro), Kent Allard/Lamont Cranston (The Shadow), Clark Kent (Superman), and Bruce Wayne (Batman).The Scarlet Pimpernel exhibits characteristics that would become standard superhero conventions, including the penchant for disguise, use of a signature weapon (sword), ability to out-think and outwit his adversaries, and a calling card (he leaves behind a scarlet pimpernel at each of his interventions).By drawing attention to hisalter ego, Blakeney hides behind his public face as a slow-thinking, foppish playboy, and he also establishes a network of supporters, The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, that aids his endeavours.A plot technique fromPimpernelalso used by some superheroes is the spurious "love triangle", where a woman is torn between attraction to her staid husband and the dashing hero—although they are in reality the same man.Marvelco-creatorStan Leestated: "The Scarlet Pimpernel was the first superhero I had read about, the first character who could be called a superhero."
The popular success of the novel is considered to be based on the myth of the aristocratic hero with a double life, along with the love story and conflict of loyalties.Dugan says that "Behind the wigs andMechlinlace cuffs lies an enduring human story of love, misunderstandings, conflict of loyalties, audacious bravery – and a dramatic double life." and this is a major part of the story's enduring popularity.Another aspect is the "Englishness" of the hero in the era when theBritish Empirebegan to shrink.
As a writer, Orczy often alluded to historical events and figures but adapted these freely in creating her tales.
Citizen Chauvelin, the recurring villain of theScarlet Pimpernelseries, is based to some extent on the real-lifeBernard-François, marquis de Chauvelin, who survived the Revolutionary period to serve as an official underNapoleon. He was a noted liberal Deputy under theBourbon Restoration.
Other historical figures who appear in Orczy'sPimpernelseries include:
Orczy wrote the original manuscript forThe Scarlet Pimpernelin five weeks during what she described as "The happiest time of her life".It was rejected by most publishing houses in London, despite her previous successes with herarmchair detectivestories, primarilyThe Old Man in the Cornerwhich first appeared inThe Royal Magazinein 1901 in a series of six "Mysteries of London". Eventually a friend put Orczy in contact with the actorsFred TerryandJulia Neilsonwho wanted a new romantic drama.The Scarlet Pimpernelwas produced and adapted by Neilson and Terry and the play opened on 15 October 1903 at Nottingham'sTheatre Royal, but it was not a success. Terry, however, had confidence in the play and, with a rewritten last act, took it to London'sWest Endwhere it opened at theNew Theatreon 5 January 1905. The premiere of the London production was enthusiastically received by the audience, but critics considered the play "old-fashioned".In spite of negative reviews, the play became a popular success, running 122 performances and enjoying numerous revivals.The Scarlet Pimpernelbecame a favourite of London audiences, playing more than 2,000 performances and becoming one of the most popular shows staged in the United Kingdom.The stage play (and subsequent novel), with their hero and villain, were so popular that they inspired a revival of classic villainy at the time.
The novelThe Scarlet Pimpernelwas published two years after the play opened and was an immediate success. Orczy gained a following of readers in Britain and throughout the world. The popularity of the novel encouraged her to write a number of sequels for her "reckless daredevil" over the next 35 years. The play was performed to great acclaim in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, while the novel was popular across the former British Empire and translated into 16 languages.Subsequently, the story has been adapted for television, film, amusicaland other media.
The commercial success ofThe Scarlet Pimpernelallowed Orczy and her husband to live out their lives in luxury. Over the years, they lived on an estate inKent, a bustling London home and an opulent villa inMonte Carlo. Conceiving the character while standing on a platform on theLondon Underground,Orczy wrote in her autobiography,Links in the Chain of Life:
Orczy wrote numerous sequels, none of which became as famous asThe Scarlet Pimpernel. Many of the sequels revolve around French characters whom Sir Percy has met and is attempting to rescue. His followers, such as Lord Tony Dewhurst, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, Lord Hastings, and Armand St. Just (Marguerite's brother), also take their turn in major roles.
In addition to the direct sequels about Sir Percy and his league, Orczy's related books includeThe Laughing Cavalier(1914) andThe First Sir Percy(1921), about an ancestor of the Pimpernel's;Pimpernel and Rosemary(1924), about a descendant; andThe Scarlet Pimpernel Looks at the World(1933), a depiction of the 1930s world from the point of view of Sir Percy.
Some of her non-related Revolutionary-period novels reference the Scarlet Pimpernel or the League, most notablyThe Bronze Eagle(1915).
The Life and Exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a fictional biography of Percy Blakeney published in 1938, named the nineteen members of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Three members of the League have betrayed their oath of loyalty:
Marguerite, Lady Blakeney, is also named as a member of the League in the bookMam'zelle Guillotine, but it is not known when she was formally enrolled.The Prince Regentis rumored to also be a member of the League, but in the original novel he refuses to confirm or deny this, saying "My lips are sealed!"; in the novelThe Elusive Pimpernel, Sir Percy tells Marguerite that he has had to report to the Prince before joining her at the village gala.
Orczy did not publish her Pimpernel stories as a strict chronological series, and in fact, the settings of the books in their publication sequence may vary forward or backward in time by months orcenturies. While some readers enjoy following the author's development of the Pimpernel character as it was realised, others prefer to read the stories in historical sequence. Taking into account occasional discrepancies in the dates of events (real and fictional) referred to in the stories, the following is an approximate chronological listing of Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel novels and short stories:
Hollywood took to the Pimpernel early and often, although most of the Pimpernel movies have been based on a melange of the original book and another Orczy novel,Eldorado. The best known of the Pimpernel movies is the 1934The Scarlet PimpernelstarringLeslie Howard, which is often considered the definitive portrayal and adaptation.
In 1923, Fred Terry and Julia Nelson bought the sole performance right to a stageplay based onThe Scarlet Pimpernel. Orczy sued the two in an attempt to claim a separate right of performance for films, but was unsuccessful. As a result of the case, people who controlled a stage performance right under the English Copyright Act were entitled to create films with the same right.
The novel has been parodied or used as source material in a variety of media, such as films, television, stage works, literature, and games:
Inspired by the titleScarlet Pimpernel, theTartan Pimpernelwas a nickname given to the ReverendDonald Caskie(1902–1983), formerly minister of theParis congregationof theChurch of Scotland, for aiding over 2,000 Allied service personnel to escape fromoccupied FranceduringWorld War II.
Varian Frywas a 32-year-oldHarvard-educated classicist and editor from New York City who helped save thousands of endangered refugees who were caught inVichy France, helping them to escape from Nazi terror during World War II. His story is told inAmerican Pimpernel: The Man Who Saved the Artists on Hitler's Death List.
MonsignorHugh O'Flahertywas an Irish priest who saved thousands of people, British and American servicemen and Jews, duringWorld War IIwhile in theVaticanin Rome. His story is told in two books and a film:
Harald Edelstam(1913–1989) was aSwedishdiplomat. During World War II, he earned the nicknameSvarta nejlikan("the Black Pimpernel") for helpingNorwegian resistance fightersinHjemmefronten[nl]escape from the Germans.Stationed in Chile in the 1970s, he arranged for the escape of numerous refugees from themilitary juntaofAugusto Pinochet; this brought him into conflict with the regime, and he eventually was forced to leave the country.
This name was also given toNelson Mandelaprior to his arrest and long incarceration for his anti-apartheidactivities in South Africa due to his effective use of disguises when evading capture by the police.
"Behind the scenes, Mandela worked very closely withWalter Sisulu, who was now being pursued by the police.Z.K. Matthewstold the CapeANCin June that Sisulu was operating behind the 'Iron Curtain' of theTranskeias a Scarlet Pimpernel (beforeMandelainherited the title): 'They sought him here, they sought him there, they sought him everywhere.'"Quote cites:Karis & Carter, Vol.3, op. cit., p.128
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, was directly inspired by"Pimpernel" Smith, a 1941 British anti-Nazi propaganda thriller, to begin rescuingHungarian Jewsduring World War II.The film had been banned in Sweden, but Wallenberg and his sister Nina were invited to a private screening at theBritish Embassy in Stockholm. Enthralled by Professor Smith (played byLeslie Howard), who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis, Nina stated, "We thought the film was amazing. When we got up from our seats, Raoul said, 'that is the kind of thing I would like to do'".Wallenberg issued false passports identifying the Jews as Swedish nationals, and is credited with rescuing at least 15,000 Jews. He disappeared in Eastern Europe after the war, and is believed to have died in a Soviet prison camp.