My American debut novel, THE...
My American debut novel, THE IMPROPER WIFE, is a historical romance set in England during the Regency Period. The English Regency period has always been an extremely popular setting for historical fiction, especially historical romance. Patrick O’Brian and Bernard Cornwell set much of their respective historical series during the Regency, with their wonderful characters, Aubrey and Maturin; Sharpe and Harper. The unsurpassed Georgette Heyer did more than anyone to bring the Regency to life. Heyer spawned an entire romance genre, the Traditional Regency, from which wonderful romance authors such as Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney have risen and many others continue in Heyer’s footsteps. Warner authors Pamela Britton, Kasey Michaels, Kathryn Caskie, and Julie Ann Long are writing superb Regency set historical romances, and I am proud to add my name to such a list. But, why, you might ask? Why the Regency period?
The Regency Period lasted from 1811 to 1820, beginning when King George III went mad, causing his son the Prince of Wales to be declared “Regent,” and ending with the King’s death. As a social period, however, some would date it from as early as 1790 to as late as 1837, when Queen Victoria took the throne. Either way this is a relatively short period of time in history. Why has it sparked so much wonderful fiction and so many faithful readers?
I am not a historian, merely a novelist in love with the time period, but I have my own opinion of why the Regency era is a mainstay of fiction.
First of all, it was a beautiful time period. The lovely Classical architecture and decor of the Georgian age became more varied and colorful, but avoided the excesses of the Victorians. The Regency was a time of great wealth, of beautiful Country houses and gardens, of lovely, elegant fashions. Gone were powdered hair, white wigs, and heavy make-up of the Georgian age. Regency women wore beautifully draping empire-waist silks and muslins, dresses that would still be considered lovely today. Men’s clothing also became more like our modern clothing, the bright-colored brocades and laces of the 1700s giving way to the simplicity, cleanliness, and perfect tailoring Beau Brummell insisted upon. Men and women rode though Hyde Park in fine carriages drawn by perfectly matched horses. The titled elite gathered in exclusive places like Almack’s and White’s. Men sported at Gentleman Jackson’s Boxing Saloon or Tattersal’s. Ladies made “morning calls” in the afternoon, and made their curtsey to the Queen in opulent gowns.
Exciting people lived during the Regency. My favorite is the truly great but imperfect Duke of Wellington, the man who defeated the Emperor Napoleon. The Prince Regent, “Prinny,” a man of great excesses, fostered the creation of the incredible Pavilion, with décor as eccentric and beautiful as one could ever imagine. Spectacular figures like Byron and Brummell shot into the public eye, only to fall as far as they had risen. Jane Austen wrote some of history’s finest fiction during this period, giving us characters who still live in our imaginations today. Shelly, Keats, Sir Walter Scott, and Byron also wrote during the Regency. Other colorful figures include Caroline Lamb, who threw herself at Byron and later wrote Glenarvon for revenge, and Harriette Wilson, a celebrated courtesan, who in her later years raised money by publishing her memoirs and blackmailing gentleman who did not wish to appear in its pages. She was the target of Wellington’s famous line, “Publish and be damned.”
The Regency time period echoes our World War II era in my mind, a time of great courage, honor, and drama, and one that eventually led into great social change. Trafalgar and the death of Nelson in 1805. The long war with Napoleon, with all its heroics, danger, and adventure, left an indelible mark on the period. Napoleon’s escape from Elba and his march to ultimate defeat at Waterloo was a hallmark historical event, still discussed, written about and fictionalized today. Also occurring at this time was the War of 1812, less victorious for the British, a presence in India, and the humming of impending social change. The Regency marked the beginning of the decline of the upper classes and the growth of wealth from industry and trade. Social unrest nipped at the heels of the class system. Luddites rioted when their livelihoods were taken over by machine. Workers assembled to demand parliamentary reform and were massacred in St. Peter’s Field.
But Regency fiction clings mostly to the fantasy of wealth and privilege, rather the exploration of the poor and downtrodden, a wealth so vast it is hard to imagine. Still, the Regency is a transitional period between the decadence of the 18th century and the repression of the Victorian Age. As such there are elements of both, providing rich opportunities for dramatic conflict. For example, it is an age when the idea of marrying for love came to the fore, and yet, marriages of convenience still took place. Women--married women, that is--were still allowed to enjoy a sexual relationship, although more discreetly than did their Georgian mothers. Their poor Victorian daughters were not so lucky. Roles and behavior were more fluid in the Regency, less defined than the eras before or after, allowing the novelist great license to explore.
The Regency is an accessible period for readers, I believe: Distant enough to give the reader a feeling of escape into another world, a world of beauty and conflict, but familiar enough to be comfortable. It is easy to imagine living in such an era, and the more times the reader has escaped to the Regency in a book, the more familiar it becomes.
I love going into the world of Regency England every time I sit down to write. I aspire to bring the time period alive so vividly that readers might love it as much as I do. I hope you decide to travel with me into the pages of THE IMPROPER WIFE and all of Warner’s Regency-set fiction. Enjoy! It is a great place to visit.
To learn more about Diane, you can visit her website at www.DianePerkins.us
Copyright © Diane Perkins
