The Scarlet Pimpernel takes place in England and France in 1792, during the height of the French Revolution. The conflict had begun two years earlier with the storming of the Bastille and continued with the Reign of Terror, a government campaign that sent thousands of French aristocrats to the guillotine.
Throughout her novel, Orczy makes her attitude toward the French Revolution and its leaders quite obvious. England and France are frequently compared with each other, with England always emerging as aesthetically and morally superior. In Chapter 3, Lord Anthony sums up Orczy's stance when he refers to England as "the most moral country," especially in comparison to France, which is filled with "reprobates."
In Chapter 28, Marguerite even characterizes England's physical landscape as a symbol of its purity and moral character, referencing "the white cliffs of England, the land of liberty and of hope."
At several points throughout the novel, Orczy juxtaposes French and British society to illustrate her belief in the superiority of the aristocracy. Sordid scenes of execution in Paris are contrasted with luxurious London balls and operas. The filthy "Chat Gris," owned by the disagreeable and miserly Brogard, is a stark contrast to "The Fisherman’s Rest," which is owned by “honest” Mr. Jellyband and consistently depicted as a warm and inviting setting.
One important location in the novel is the Blakeney estate in Richmond. The household’s size and grandness serve as physical representations of Marguerite and Percy’s wealth and status, while the surrounding woods inspire a Romantic glorification of the English countryside and the natural world as a whole. The fact that Marguerite and Percy are isolated in separate rooms in different parts of the house, meanwhile, emphasizes their emotional distance from one another.
Another important landmark is the English Channel, which physically separates England from France while also representing the cultural and moral divide between the two nations. Throughout The Scarlet Pimpernel, the channel and its surrounding cliffs often serve as sites of transition and danger.
