The Scarlet Pimpernel takes place during the French Revolution, which lasted from 1789-1799, and involved an overthrow of the monarchical regime by the peasant classes. This revolution is considered by many to be, and is often portrayed as, a radical manifestation of the egalitarian principles that began developing during the Enlightenment. As a result of this uprising, a Reign of Terror took hold: aristocrats were condemned, imprisoned, and sent to the guillotine. In Orczy's novel, a cunning and shrewd hero known as the Scarlet Pimpernel rescues those aristocrats trying to flee the gates of Paris and takes them safely to England, where they enjoy diplomatic immunity from the terror of...
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