Romance in the Regency - Bundaberg Regional Libraries

LITERATURE FEATURE
Romance in the Regency
Historical romance is, technically speaking, set
during any period between the beginning of time
and today. If it’s set in the past it’s historical. But
more commonly, historical romance novels are set
between the Medieval period and the late 1800s,
with the 1800s being probably the most popular.
Regency romance is a subgenre of historical
romance, set specifically during the Regency period
of 1811-1820. This is when George, the Prince of
Wales, acted as Regent due to his father’s ill health.
When his father died in 1820 George became the
official ruler - King George IV - and the Regency
period came to a technical end.
However, the line between regency and historical
quite often gets blurred and many books set around,
but not exactly in, the period have a regency vibe.
For the purpose of this article, novels set in and
around the actual Regency period will be referred to
as ‘Regencies’.
Hallmarks of the Regency
Regency novels all have some things in common:
set in England
feature characters who belong to the haut ton or
the ton - literally ‘high tone’ - meaning
fashionable and referring to members of the
aristocracy
showcase the social activities of the day - the
(social) Season, balls, musicales, carriage rides,
plays, etc
Common plot themes
Regencies are romance novels so there are several
plots which authors use to create their stories. The
Regency period lends itself to many including the
following:
marriages of convenience
forced marriages (due to breaking social custom
and needing to protect the heroine’s reputation
and standing in the ton)
pretend engagements
mistaken identity

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mistresses
spinsters (those women not married by their very
early twenties)
romance between a guardian and his charge
kidnappings (sometimes, but not always, related
to mistaken identity)
orphans, and young women responsible for
younger sibling/s
mixing of social classes
In many stories, especially in novels written in more
recent times, mystery may also be a large element of
the plot. A jealous relative may desire to become the
titled peer, a supposed past suicide may have been
murder, a series of thefts may be occurring at a
country house, or the hero may be a spy or
Government agent.
Regencies written in the last decade or so tend to
have much more adventure involved in their plot
than the more traditional regencies.
Heroes and Heroines and Marriage
As with many romances, especially historical, the
hero is buff and handsome, liked by everyone,
protective and considerate of his women-folk,
aristocratic and rich. They are usually aged late
twenties, early thirties and have avoided, and may
still be trying to avoid, the ‘marriage mart’.
The Season and its associated balls, assemblies,
musicales, etc, is like a market place and is designed
to showcase the eligible ladies to the eligible
bachelors. The ladies are trying to secure wealthy,
and hopefully titled, husbands, while the men are
trying to satisfy the demands of their mothers and
families to marry and produce an heir.
Ladies’ mothers were often referred to as
‘matchmaking mamas’ and were rabid in their efforts
to marry their daughters to eligible men. Strong men
like the heroes of Regency novels aren’t happy with
the mostly insipid, giggly, and quite often less-thanintelligent
ladies on offer. They just need the right
sassy heroine to make marriage an attractive
proposition.
Unmarried women in those days were often a
financial burden to their family, and, when their
father died, were dependent upon a brother or other
male relative for their upkeep. Very few employment

LITERATURE FEATURE
options were open to aristocratic women, so being
unmarried was a very insecure position to be in.
The heroines of Regencies are independentlyminded,
strong-willed, educated (more so than most
of their peers), and intelligent. They are also usually
members of the aristocracy and therefore from
wealthy families.
Why do Regencies resonate?
Among the aristocracy marriage was traditionally for
securing property or producing heirs. Love, and
sometimes even like, didn’t come into it.
However, around the Regency period love was
becoming a much more accepted reason for
marrying. Whereas in times gone by aristocrats had
to do their duty and marry to protect the family
interests, they now had the choice to marry for love.
This is an aspect of society that is true for most
people today - for many there is much time and
energy devoted to finding ‘the one’ and falling in
love. The heroes and heroines of Regencies are easy
to identify with.
We as readers, and especially romance readers, also
like to read about handsome men, beautiful women,
big mansions, glittering events, and all the trappings
of a wealthy lifestyle. It’s all about visiting a fantasy
world!
A selection of Regency authors
Jane Austen
The original Regency romance writer, though she
wrote more about the landed gentry than the
aristocracy. Pride and Prejudice is a classic.
Georgette Heyer
The acknowledged queen of Regency romance. Her
novels were superbly researched and characterdriven.
Try The Grand Sophy and Arabella. She was
born in 1902 in England, died in 1974 and was a
prolific writer of both romance and mystery. (For
more on Georgette Heyer see the article in Lib News,
Vol 2 No 2, available on the Library website).
Mary Balogh
An engaging writer, her Simply series, Bedwyn (or
Slightly) series, and her Huxtable Quartet, are
favourites.

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Gaelen Foley
Gaelen Foley writes sexy romances full of mystery
and intrigue. Try her Knight Miscellany series or her
Spice Trilogy.
Eloisa James
Eloisa James also writes sexy romance, often
featuring Dukes and Duchesses - the height of the
aristocracy. Try her Desperate Duchesses series.
Lisa Kleypas
While set well outside the Regency period in the
1840s and 1850s Kleypas’ Hathaway series has a
regency feel and is full of wit and warmth.
Stephanie Laurens
Stephanie Laurens is Australia’s queen of Regency
romance and she has had great international
success, regularly appearing on bestseller lists the
world over. Her characters are strong and sexy and
her books are full of adventure and mystery. Try her
Cynster series and Bastion Club series.
Amanda Quick
Amanda Quick is the pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz.
She is another acknowledged pioneer of the genre.
Try Mistress, Surrender, and others.
Julia Quinn
Julia Quinn writes charming and witty romances
featuring lovable characters. Her Bridgerton series is
particularly good. Also look out for her new Smythe-
Smith series, which features a family mentioned in
the Bridgerton books, and her Bevelstoke series
beginning with The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda
Cheever.
References:
Author Interview: Stephanie Laurens, HarperCollins
Publishers Australia, http://www.harpercollins.com.au/
author/AuthorExtra.aspx?
displayType=interview&authorID=17367
Fantastic Fiction - http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/
Good Ton - http://www.thenonesuch.com/index.htm
Regency romance, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Regency_romance
Wainger, Leslie. 2004. Writing a Romance Novel for
Dummies. Wiley, NJ.
Peta Browne
Bundaberg Regional Libraries