Scaramouche

by Rafael Sabatini

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Critical Evaluation

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Although Rafael Sabatini had been steadily publishing novels, short stories, and biographies for twenty years, it was the publication of Scaramouche in 1921 that finally brought him literary fame. The novel, which had been rejected by seven publishers, became an instant international bestseller, prompting his American publisher, Houghton Mifflin, to reissue Sabatini’s earlier works. To capitalize on Scaramouche’s sudden popularity, Sabatini quickly adapted the novel for the theater, and the first stage production opened in New York in 1922. A prolific writer, Sabatini continued to publish historical romances, including the very popular Captain Blood (1922) and its sequels, and throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s his fiction was consistently at the top of the best-seller lists.

Sabatini’s stories of romantic adventures, gallant heroes, and spirited heroines provided escape from the ravages of World War I. In 1931, Sabatini published a sequel, Scaramouche: The Kingmaker, which was poorly received by critics and the public. Scaramouche and other major works by Sabatini have been periodically reissued, including new editions with scholarly introductions published by Norton in 2002.

Sabatini’s historical romances, with their high adventure, ingenious plot twists, surprise endings, and melodrama, made them ideal for motion picture adaptations. The success of his novels on the screen increased Sabatini’s popularity with the public. In 1923, Metro Pictures released a silent-film adaptation of Scaramouche starring Ramon Novarro, and in 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) issued a lushly colored remake featuring Stewart Granger. The MGM version only loosely followed the plot of the novel, but it is considered one of the finest fencing pictures ever made. The film contains seven duels and the longest uncut sword fight (six and one-half minutes) in cinematic history.

Although Sabatini has fallen out of critical favor and little is now written about him, especially in the academic world, his best fiction—Scaramouche, Captain Blood, and The Sea-Hawk (1915)—rivals the historical fiction of Alexander Dumas, Rudyard Kipling, and Robert Louis Stevenson. His historical novels were influential during his lifetime, and Sabatini has continued to influence contemporary writers of historical fiction, most notably George MacDonald Fraser, author of the Flashman series. Many of Sabatini’s plot devices (such as the wronged hero, piracy on the high seas, and court intrigue) are still used in historical fiction.

Fluent in six languages, Sabatini extensively researched historical characters and time periods before starting a new work, often relying on primary resources to do so. He preferred to write about historical eras of great social, economic, and political turmoil because they provided a dramatic backdrop to his stories. In Scaramouche, the upheaval of the French Revolution is finely detailed, and the carefully recounted events of the plot mirror what was happening in the revolution’s early years. The narrative moves easily between lower-, middle-, and upper-class society in France from 1789 to 1792. Small details of eighteenth century life—the period’s clothing, hairstyles, theatrical costumes, dueling etiquette, and so forth—are meticulously described. The novel’s protagonist, Andre-Louis Moreau, encounters both fictional characters and historical figures such as Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, and King Louis XVI. To make the novel seem even more realistic, the narrator quotes from Moreau’s letters and Confessions and refers to old newspapers and playbills on file in the Carnavet Museum.

Scaramouche’s famous opening line, “He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad,” sets the tone for this thrilling, swashbuckling romance. Divided into three sections, the novel traces the various careers of Moreau as a lawyer, comedic actor, fencing master, and politician. Impressively crafted, Scaramouche avoids the usual pitfalls of historical romances (formulaic plots, cardboard...

(This entire section contains 799 words.)

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characters, and stilted dialogue) and instead presents an inventive, surprise-filled plot, fully developed characters, and witty and clever dialogue. Both the hero and the villain move beyond one-dimensional, stock characters. Moreau develops from a cynically disinterested law student into a revolutionary who embraces the French Revolution’s ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. La Tour, while supporting the views of his class, is also a man of courage and honor. Although Aline is idealized, she too has a distinct, spirited personality and motives of her own.

The book’s themes and characterization follow a pattern that Sabatini developed and used repeatedly in his better romantic historical novels. Like the protagonists Peter Blood (Captain Blood) and Sir Olivier Tressilian (The Sea-Hawk), Moreau is a good, intelligent, and innocent man who is accused of a crime he did not commit and branded an outlaw and fugitive. After acts of self-sacrifice and a series of daring adventures, he is able to reclaim his good name and place in society. The hero is also reunited at the end with the woman he loves. The overall theme of Scaramouche is justice, not only for Moreau and his murdered friend Vilmorin but also for all French people.

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