Baroness d'Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel

[RegLit]

Perhaps, some may not consider The Scarlet Pimpernel novels as Regency. The setting is England and France during the French Revolutionary Wars, so it is probably late Georgian. But it does feature the Prince of Wales, so it probably could be considered Regency. If so, Orczy would certainly be considered one of the early Regency romance authors. She wrote around the turn of the 20th century, and is probably closer to that era than any other modern writers of the era. Her romances are definitely original and also feature some adventure and mystery. Obviously, the Scarlet Pimpernel is sort of a Robin Hood figure with a similar sense of humour. I have read several of the Scarlet Pimpernel novels and they are quite fun. But I have heard that she wrote other romantic adventures and I'm looking forward to discovering them.

[Kathryn Kane]

Georgette Heyer enjoyed Orczy's work, and in fact, it is said that it was The Scarlet Pimpernel which inspired her to write her first novel, The Black Moth, which she wrote for her brother when he was ill. So, in a way, Orczy is partially responsible for the Regency genre which Heyer created.