The Scarlet Pimpernel (novel)/YMMV

The original novel

 * Complete Monster: Collot d'Herbois, Robespierre.
 * Iron Woobie: Lady Marguerite Blakeney.
 * It Was His Sled: The dramatic revelation, two-thirds of the way through, that the demmed idiot Sir Percy Blakeney is the Scarlet Pimpernel.
 * Protagonist Title Fallacy: Poor Marguerite...
 * Seinfeld Is Unfunny: Chauvelin, for one, would be guilty of unforgiveable Genre Blindness... except his genre didn't exist yet.
 * Values Dissonance:
 * It was easier in the earlier 20th century to completely vilify the French Revolution and have more sympathy for the French aristocracy.
 * Similarly, the depiction of the Jewish prisoner might be read with some discomfort by modern readers.

The sequel novels
"He told me that our best chance of safety lay in making ourselves feared. To superstitious, half-educated people, the mysterious device ... would reduce many to a state of fear."
 * Foe Yay: Chauvelin and Sir Percy, the man who haunts "his daydreams and his sleepless nights."
 * Hilarious in Hindsight:
 * Sir Percy Hits Back reveals that Chauvelin has an 18-year-old daughter. Count how many adaptations make him an ex-suitor or love interest for the 25-year-old Marguerite.
 * In The Life and Exploits of the Scarlet Pimpernel, written by Baroness Orcy's son, Sir Andrew recalls the day Blakeney explained his reasoning behind adopting the scarlet pimpernel motif and his m.o. of leaving his calling card whenever he made a rescue:

The adaptations

 * The Woobie: The 1999 TV version has Tony Dewhurst, played by Jamie Bamber in the middle of the Professional Woobie stage of his career.