Bravo, superhero!
“A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.”
This is the opening to The Scarlet Pimpernel, the origin of the “hero in disguise” genre which is every bit as fun and amusing as it was a century ago. During the Reign of Terror, incredulous accounts of a league of Englishmen smuggling doomed French aristocrats to England right under the noses of French officials set the whole continent in frenzy. These meddlesome and daring young men were led by the mysterious “Scarlet Pimpernel”. The ruthless French agent Chauvelin blackmailed Marguerite Blakeney, illustrious French actress turned London social queen by marriage to a wealthy idiot, to help him hunt down the anonymous leader. Thus followed a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase where the mouse was the hero. And a charismatic mouse he was.
Baroness Orczy was a master in creating moods. “And they (French aristos) did try to hide, and tried to fly: that was just the fun of the whole thing” - nailed the chilling atmosphere of a world crazed about Lady Guillotine. I don’t know about historical accuracy, but this is surely the setting just ripe for the birth of a superhero who can accomplish the impossible. His identity was easily guessed by readers before it was revealed half way, and even some of his tricks could be seen through easily enough (due to 100 years of training by Orczy’s students). Yet I found myself eager to turn the page, which showed how well the story was executed: crisp, fast, exhilarating. What is amazing is how Orczy pumped adrenaline without shedding a drop of blood: this is not a swash-buckling adventure where limbs flew and bodies fell. It is more a “civilized” chess-game about how to win without firing a shot. I was never a big fan of love stories, but the relationship between the estranged husband and wife was surprisingly touching and a bonus. The emotional ups and downs of Marguerite were credible, and without over-explaining, Orczy had the readers see the driving forces behind the death-defying feats of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
A delicious treat seeped in romance.
“A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.”
This is the opening to The Scarlet Pimpernel, the origin of the “hero in disguise” genre which is every bit as fun and amusing as it was a century ago. During the Reign of Terror, incredulous accounts of a league of Englishmen smuggling doomed French aristocrats to England right under the noses of French officials set the whole continent in frenzy. These meddlesome and daring young men were led by the mysterious “Scarlet Pimpernel”. The ruthless French agent Chauvelin blackmailed Marguerite Blakeney, illustrious French actress turned London social queen by marriage to a wealthy idiot, to help him hunt down the anonymous leader. Thus followed a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase where the mouse was the hero. And a charismatic mouse he was.
Baroness Orczy was a master in creating moods. “And they (French aristos) did try to hide, and tried to fly: that was just the fun of the whole thing” - nailed the chilling atmosphere of a world crazed about Lady Guillotine. I don’t know about historical accuracy, but this is surely the setting just ripe for the birth of a superhero who can accomplish the impossible. His identity was easily guessed by readers before it was revealed half way, and even some of his tricks could be seen through easily enough (due to 100 years of training by Orczy’s students). Yet I found myself eager to turn the page, which showed how well the story was executed: crisp, fast, exhilarating. What is amazing is how Orczy pumped adrenaline without shedding a drop of blood: this is not a swash-buckling adventure where limbs flew and bodies fell. It is more a “civilized” chess-game about how to win without firing a shot. I was never a big fan of love stories, but the relationship between the estranged husband and wife was surprisingly touching and a bonus. The emotional ups and downs of Marguerite were credible, and without over-explaining, Orczy had the readers see the driving forces behind the death-defying feats of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
A delicious treat seeped in romance.
