The Scarlet Pimpernel was published in England in 1905, in the midst of the Realist movement. Realist literature, which focused on faithfully representing everyday life, was a reaction to the earlier Romantic movement, which emphasized individualism, beauty, and intense emotion. Although The Scarlet Pimpernel was technically published after the end of the Romantic era, it borrows certain traits from this tradition, ultimately sharing aspects of both literary movements.
Orczy's novel is classically Romantic in its idealization of the individual. Her story centers on a lone hero—The Scarlet Pimpernel—and his small band of devoted followers, who emerge victorious over the forces of the entire French Republic. And throughout the novel, she consistently emphasizes the rugged individualism of her English heroes and contrasts it with what she views as the mob mentality of the French Revolution.
The glorification of nature in The Scarlet Pimpernel is also characteristic of the Romantic movement. At numerous points in the novel, Orczy dedicates long passages to the beauty of the English Channel and the countryside, which often has powerful effects on her characters' emotions.
The Romantic movement was also characterized by a nostalgia for the past, which pervades much of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Throughout the novel, Orczy presents traditional aristocratic ideals—exemplified by The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel—as superior to the modern struggle for equality and justice in the French Republic.
That said, there are aspects of Orczy's novel that cement it as part of the Realist tradition. Realist literature is known for its emphasis on the ugly and sordid parts of human society, and Orczy spends considerable time dwelling on what she views as the cruel and revolting practices of the French Revolution. And while The Scarlet Pimpernel is mainly a novel about masked heroes and daring plots, a considerable portion of the narrative is devoted to the everyday activities of ordinary people, like the proprietors and customers at "The Fisherman's Rest."
The Scarlet Pimpernel also falls into the categories of historical fiction, adventure, and romance. The novel originated as a stage play, and it consequently contains numerous theatrical and melodramatic elements. Events in the novel occur in contained, clearly demarcated scenes located in a small number of settings, almost as though they're physically staged in a theater. And while Marguerite and Percy do grow and develop over the course of the narrative, many characters are presented as stock figures one might find in a staged Victorian melodrama.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is also considered to be one of the first major novels about a masked hero with a secret identity, a trope that went on to inspire an entire genre of its own.
