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Jane Austen Fans

Jane Austen had some lofty fans in her day, once word got around who she was. Prinny actually put her between a rock and hard place by having his librarian, J.S. Clarke, suggest that she dedicate her next book (Emma) to the Prince of Wales. Why was that so difficult? Because she couldn’t stand Prinny! Unfortunately, ignoring a royal dictate was unwise, so she did as he wished. But she put her foot down when Clarke then suggested that she write a historical romance about the ancestors of Prinny’s son-in-law. She explained that historical romance was not her cup of tea. Thank goodness, because I much prefer her stories of love in English villages.

But I’m happy I don’t have to revise books the way she did in the Regency. Authors did have pencils, erasers, paper, ink, and quill pens, but I hated revising when I had to retype things (before the advent of personal computers—yes, I was alive then), so imagine what it would be like to have to rewrite everything whenever you wanted to make a major revision. Handwriting was a crucial skill for clerks—there were even books on how to improve your business handwriting. All I can say is, thank heaven for computers.

Female Writers

Many female writers in the 19th century took pseudonyms or wrote anonymously, because it was considered bad form for a lady or gentlewoman to write books. That’s why Jane Austen’s books were published anonymously as “By a Lady” or “By the Author of Pride and Prejudice,” etc. Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte wrote as Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell. Lady Caroline Lamb wrote Glenarvon about London society (and Lord Byron, her former lover) anonymously. Mary Ann Evans wrote as George Eliot. But there were several women who did use their own names: Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, and Elizabeth Inchbald. It depended on how radical they were and what their place was in society.

Children’s Books

By the Regency, children’s books were starting to be more than educational or religious. This is when the first fairy tales appear in book form (Grimm’s Fairy Tales were first published in 1812 in Germany) and you start getting entertaining works like the ones I quote in Dance of Seduction. Of course, “entertaining” didn’t quite have the same meaning it does now. After all, even though the poem “Cock Robin” that Gabe reads in To Wed a Wild Lord is subtitled, “a pretty painted toy for either girl or boy: suited for all ages,” it’s about how Robin Redbreast dies and everyone mourns him.

Book Covers

Book covers were boring in the Regency; i.e., there weren’t any images on them. But there were lots of images in them. George Cruikshank did a thriving business in black and white etchings for books, notably the novels of Charles Dickens and Laurence Sterne. As you might imagine, color illustrations were prohibitive. In fact, books were pretty expensive, too, which is why private circulating libraries flourished, and why all those rich dukes and earls were the only ones with big libraries. To own a book was a mark of wealth. Thank goodness books are now much more readily available for everyone.

1811 – 1820: A Short but Memorable Time

England’s upper ten thousand were known as The Ton, from the French phrase “le bon ton,” meaning in the fashionable mode.
England’s upper ten thousand were known as The Ton, from the French phrase “le bon ton,” meaning in the fashionable mode.

For all the stir it caused, the actual Regency lasted only nine years: From Feb. 5, 1811, when George, Prince of Wales, was sworn in as regent, to Jan. 31, 1820, when he was proclaimed king of England. So why do you hear “Regency Era” used to describe the years 1780 to 1830 in English history?

The answer is simple: Those years are marked by the influence of the man who became King George IV. Some would say the decades took on the character and personality of the Prince Regent himself—a Royal known for his flamboyance, passion for the arts and fondness of earthly pleasures. Fittingly, the Regency of “Prinny,” as he was known to his peers, is forever linked with the high living class that was the ton. And Sabrina’s novels offer readers a sexy, behind-the-scenes peek into that era. Visit often for the latest offerings!

The Gentle Sex

Upper-class women in the Regency were expected to turn a blind eye to husbands who dallied outside marriage. Once a wife produced an heir however, she, too, could take a lover.
Upper-class women in the Regency were expected to turn a blind eye to husbands who dallied outside marriage. Once a wife produced an heir however, she, too, could take a lover.

Wanted: Vice- and Opinion-free Women

For all its excesses, the Regency upper-class lived and died by rules. (You could call them the first “Rules” girls.) So, of course, one of the great contradictions was how men and women were expected to behave.

As the gentle sex, women were to be without vices and opinion. They were to be modest, dutiful and the prettier the better (reputation, breeding and fortune also came into play when calculating their worth). Spirited girls who spoke their minds, showed too much temper or wit or appeared too familiar with manly interests—gambling, boxing, profanity—were quickly labeled: hoydens. (This was not a good thing.)

Meanwhile, society happily embraced young women prone to hysterics, fainting fits and swooning. Bottom line: The wise young Regency woman learned just enough math to be able to safeguard the household budget. Ironically, it would be during the Regency, as arranged marriages gave way to unions of love, that women with good conversational skills finally came into favor. After all, who wants a dull companion for life?

A Man’s World

During the Regency, rules about what was proper for women to do in the city vs the country could make one’s head spin. Permissible waltzing in London. Not permissible: waltzing before your debut—or worse, waltzing at a country gathering.
During the Regency, rules about what was proper for women to do in the city vs the country could make one’s head spin. Permissible waltzing in London. Not permissible: waltzing before your debut—or worse, waltzing at a country gathering.

The Age of Rakes, Rogues & Scoundrels

If you were a man, especially a man who lusted and drank, the Regency rocked. Men could marry for love, convenience, money or power—and were not expected to be faithful. Discreet, yes.

But manly indiscretion need not bar one from the ton. The Prince Regent was this generation’s Pied Piper, leading the way in almost every form of vice. The end result was textbook: When no one finds anything too extreme or opulent or expensive, how can you criticize anyone? And so excesses flourished.

The typical day for a London bachelor? Rise after noon, have a leisurely breakfast, dress, go to the club at 3, practice boxing at 4, promenade in Hyde Park at 5, and spend an evening with friends at the theater or opera, fashionable parties or masquerade balls, men’s club or gaming hall.

So what was expected of upper-class men during the Regency? The responsibilities were few but universal: Enhance the family’s wealth, power and prestige. Keep the family name respectable. Be elegant in dress and manner in public. If you were the oldest, marry and produce an heir. And, oh yes: Keep those extramarital affairs on the down low.

A Regency Glossary

bamming: fooling or lying or pulling one’s leg
cattle: horses
cropsick: hung over
foxed: drunk
havey-cavey: suspicious
lightskirt: prostitute
milk-and-water miss: an insipid young female
parure: a set of matching jewelry
rake: man of big sexual appetite, few morals
rig: coach and horse together
Stubble it!: Be quiet!

The Regency Social Ladder

The social ladder in the Regency was fixed and inflexible—and the poor enforced it with almost as much vigor as the nobility. Defined by birth, title, wealth, property and occupation, it went something like this, with the aristocracy and gentry comprising the ruling class:

Monarch
Royalty
Aristocracy
Gentry
Middle Classes
Artisans, Tradespeople
Servants
Laboring Poor
Paupers

Letter Writing in the Regency

Letter-writing was a favorite Regency pastime — albeit a pricey one. The recipient bore the cost of delivery, which was calculated by the distance the courier had to travel. Long-winded epistles faced surcharges: the cost doubled for a second sheet of paper. People became quite crafty in using every bit of space a sheet of paper afforded. Some ladies were known to write horizontally, vertically and diagonally across the page. Envelopes didn’t exist, so letters were folded and sealed with a dab of melted wax.