Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
My first post is question: Was this story new to any of you? (Had not read it before, nor watched any of the films?)
I want to know that because I'm curious to know whether the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel, when it eventually becomes clear to Marguerite in the book, is a surprise to a reader new to the story. Indeed, I'm curious to know whether it is meant to be.
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I first read this in my early teens, and at the time I remember thinking that it was supposed to be a surprise. If it was not, the whole "what have I done?" scenario when she chose her brother over the SP would have had less impact on me as a debutant reader, I think.
My thoughts on reading it nearly 40 years later are less clear. Overall, though I was still able to enjoy it as simple romantic adventure. I was planning to read all the rest, but I think I will restrict myself to those in which Marguerite plays a significant role, to see if her agency does increase from this first novel.
It was also interesting to read in the notes accompanying the delphi classics edition that the book was rejected at firrst, produced as a play that more or less flopped, then the play's finale was reworked by someone else and took off. So the novel we read is the result of a collaboration of sorts - it makes me wonder what her original version was like, especially the ending.