RetroInspection - The Scarlet Pimpernel - pt. 5

Baroness Orczy, in The Scarlet Pimpernel, whether through purpose or by accident, dismissed several tropes that governed characters throughout literature.
In Sir Percy Blakeney, she created a character that may best be described as a fop. Clothed in the world's finest fabrics of the day replete with jewels, Blakeney typified the ideals of British aristocracy. However, underneath that finery--his true mask--was hidden the heart of a lion, a man who risked everything to protect those he cared about.
In Marguerite St. Just, Orczy upended the idea of the simple maiden to be rescued. Instead, Marguerite became the hero of the story. Acting with her own sense of honor and love in order to save her beloved husband and brother, Marguerite drove the story of the Pimpernel forward.
Through these characters, the baroness gave readers very human, very flawed characters, but ideals, nonetheless, for which to strive despite what might have been convention.

The French Revolution: A History - https://amzn.to/46HVRZ9
A Tale of Two Cities - https://amzn.to/3VLsC2f
The American Revolution - https://amzn.to/482azMy
The Scarlet Pimpernel Collection - https://amzn.to/4lQWogz
The Scarlet Pimpernel: The Complete Series - https://amzn.to/4lTQXxo

http://www.xynobooks.com