Tiffany answers “So basically this is a revamp of the...”

Louise Pare-Lobinske asked this question about Scaramouche (Scaramouche, #1):

So basically this is a revamp of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Having read Pimpernel, will I find anything new about this book?

Tiffany A book that takes from historical events isn't exactly revamping or building on the ideas of another author. If this is the case, then we can accuse t…moreA book that takes from historical events isn't exactly revamping or building on the ideas of another author. If this is the case, then we can accuse the author of Scarlet Pimpernel of directly piggy backing off of Charles Dickens who wrote 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

You can't revamp history. Books that are set during a historical event are inspired by the historical event, not the works of others.

I haven't read Scaramouche yet. However, I have read The Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities. Both books use the bare basics of history in terms of the French Revolution, and I sure you will find that this is the case for Scaramouche in some regard.

I can't really make any recommendations of books that are set during the French Revolution that are fictional, but if you want to read some classic non-fiction that will maybe give you better insight into the history of the French Revolution, then use what these books say to compare it to the history/events that take place in The Scarlet Pimpernel, then I suggest looking for those as well.

I read The Scarlet Pimpernel, then picked up a whole bunch of books written by British and French contemporaries that witnessed the French Revolution first hand. My only advice to you is to be a bit wary of the contemporary English sources. Many of those works show that Britain was absolutely terrified that the French Revolution was going to spill out into Britain and cause a lot of issues for British nobility/the British monarchy. Some of the French contemporaries of the Revolution are very sympathetic to the Revolutionaries, so if you are looking for a source that is neutral and providing facts as they happened... I mean, you might have a bit of a difficult time finding one. (less)

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