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sophia_sol) wrote2014-03-26 06:54 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2014-03-26 06:54 pm
The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Emma Orczy
I have to start by saying that that is a really unfortunate choice of flower name for one's secret identity, because at least in my experience the scarlet pimpernel is not a well-known flower name these days, and the only real association with the syllable "pimp" is, well, pimps. And "scarlet" doesn't really help with the pimp association. So the name sounds kiiiiind of sketchy instead of sounding like an innocent wayside flower.
ANYWAYS.
I started reading this book because I was promised Percy Blakeney, Troll Hero Extraordinaire, who is extremely confident and doesn't care what other people think of him because he knows he's so awesome, and basically just has a lot of fun doing what he does? So I was kind of disappointed to discover that we hardly get any Percy POV in the book. And we mostly only get to see his foolish persona, in fact! Ah well, such is life, disappointments are everywhere, and the book IS very enjoyable.
I was warned going in what problems to expect from the book: Margaret doesn't get to do enough with her intelligence, there's antisemitism, and the French Revolution is EEEEVIL. And yep, these are all indeed the case.
But everything else about the book is great! Melodrama! Excitement! Secrets! Feelings that can't be talked about! Desperate flights to save people's lives! It's all just lots of fun.
I must say though that I find it hilarious, the progression of what the book says about Margaret's thoughts on what Percy was like before marriage to her? First Margaret's all "oh he was an idiot but he was totally in love with me and I kinda liked that about him" and then later she's like "but there was a hint of passion and intensity behind his foolishness that was very compelling" and then later she's like "he wasn't this foolish before! whatever happened to the Percy I knew?"
So I'm thus rather curious about how much of his real self he WAS showing to Margaret beforehand, and which of the above three variations is actually correct, because I think all of the above are Margaret seeing what she wants to see when she looks at the past.
Also I gotta mention that I find it kind of weird that apparently the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel is doing all this work to rescue french aristocrats because...they enjoy the danger and excitement of it? Instead of doing it because they think it's the right thing to do? Like, we the readers are obviously supposed to believe that it's right and good to rescue all these innocent aristocrats from the guillotine, but we're also informed that that's not why they do it. And I'm just, like, what? I don't understand! Are we supposed to think more highly of them because they do it just for fun instead of doing it for moral reasons? idkkkk!
Also I am kind of creeped out that Suzanne is basically always referred to as a "child" and also her entire plotline is about her love for and impending marriage to Andrew Ffoulkes. CHILD. MARRIAGE. These two words do not sit comfortably together for me! I wonder how old Suzanne is actually supposed to be? (Of course, Margaret also gets described as having a childlike appearance sometimes, and she's fully 25, so.....)
Sorry, sorry, I seem to mostly be talking about the ways in which this novel was frustrating for me! I promise I really did enjoy it lots! It's just... there's not a lot that I am finding to say on the subject of what was awesome about it?
Anyways, in related news, I have now listened to the concept album of the Scarlet Pimpernel musical a few times and enjoyed it. Some of the love songs are a bit boring, and it kind of feels like the entire last half is boring love songs? Shouldn't the last half be about excitement and melodrama and danger? Oh well. A lot of the other stuff is really fun! (also maybe I should listen to a different version of the musical than just the concept album? I get the impression from wikipedia that there are some fairly significant changes from the concept album to other versions!)
ALSO I NEED TO WATCH THE TAKARAZUKA PRODUCTION OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL because it exists and that is a glorious thing.
ANYWAYS.
I started reading this book because I was promised Percy Blakeney, Troll Hero Extraordinaire, who is extremely confident and doesn't care what other people think of him because he knows he's so awesome, and basically just has a lot of fun doing what he does? So I was kind of disappointed to discover that we hardly get any Percy POV in the book. And we mostly only get to see his foolish persona, in fact! Ah well, such is life, disappointments are everywhere, and the book IS very enjoyable.
I was warned going in what problems to expect from the book: Margaret doesn't get to do enough with her intelligence, there's antisemitism, and the French Revolution is EEEEVIL. And yep, these are all indeed the case.
But everything else about the book is great! Melodrama! Excitement! Secrets! Feelings that can't be talked about! Desperate flights to save people's lives! It's all just lots of fun.
I must say though that I find it hilarious, the progression of what the book says about Margaret's thoughts on what Percy was like before marriage to her? First Margaret's all "oh he was an idiot but he was totally in love with me and I kinda liked that about him" and then later she's like "but there was a hint of passion and intensity behind his foolishness that was very compelling" and then later she's like "he wasn't this foolish before! whatever happened to the Percy I knew?"
So I'm thus rather curious about how much of his real self he WAS showing to Margaret beforehand, and which of the above three variations is actually correct, because I think all of the above are Margaret seeing what she wants to see when she looks at the past.
Also I gotta mention that I find it kind of weird that apparently the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel is doing all this work to rescue french aristocrats because...they enjoy the danger and excitement of it? Instead of doing it because they think it's the right thing to do? Like, we the readers are obviously supposed to believe that it's right and good to rescue all these innocent aristocrats from the guillotine, but we're also informed that that's not why they do it. And I'm just, like, what? I don't understand! Are we supposed to think more highly of them because they do it just for fun instead of doing it for moral reasons? idkkkk!
Also I am kind of creeped out that Suzanne is basically always referred to as a "child" and also her entire plotline is about her love for and impending marriage to Andrew Ffoulkes. CHILD. MARRIAGE. These two words do not sit comfortably together for me! I wonder how old Suzanne is actually supposed to be? (Of course, Margaret also gets described as having a childlike appearance sometimes, and she's fully 25, so.....)
Sorry, sorry, I seem to mostly be talking about the ways in which this novel was frustrating for me! I promise I really did enjoy it lots! It's just... there's not a lot that I am finding to say on the subject of what was awesome about it?
Anyways, in related news, I have now listened to the concept album of the Scarlet Pimpernel musical a few times and enjoyed it. Some of the love songs are a bit boring, and it kind of feels like the entire last half is boring love songs? Shouldn't the last half be about excitement and melodrama and danger? Oh well. A lot of the other stuff is really fun! (also maybe I should listen to a different version of the musical than just the concept album? I get the impression from wikipedia that there are some fairly significant changes from the concept album to other versions!)
ALSO I NEED TO WATCH THE TAKARAZUKA PRODUCTION OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL because it exists and that is a glorious thing.