Discussion questions -Scarlet Pimpernel: In a close reading of the opening chapter

1. In a close reading of the opening chapter, discuss how Orczy establishes the tone and mood of revolutionary Paris.
2. Through a close reading of the descriptions of Calais in Chapter XXII, discuss how the narrator uses physical details to represent or mirror thematic concerns.
3. Select and analyze a passage that displays the novel’s simultaneous reinforcement of and subversion of stereotypical gender roles.
4. Discuss the beating of Rosenbaum in Chapter XXX as an incident that shows the ambiguous attitude toward anti-Semitism in the novel.
5. Offer a close reading of a portion of the text that illuminates, in some way, the nature and role of Fate in The Scarlet Pimpernel.