When it comes to romance novels the Regency era is a fan-favorite sub-genre. This short period spans from 1811-1820 during what historians call the Long Eighteenth Century. This epoch is characterized by many notable events that change every part of the world.
Britain is at war with Napoleon and America. Slave ships sailed from the African coast to the Americas with human cargo. People in the Western world believed themselves enlightened, embracing Ancient Greek ideals which were reflected in various areas of society including fashion. This was the era of Jane Austen, Lord Byron, and Mary Shelley. It was also a time when the divide between the haves and have-nots that is not unlike our own time.
So, why is the Regency era so popular with romance readers?
One reason is that the time was one of decadence, and joviality before the moral Victorian age unfurled. It was a wild time. A time period that we could see ourselves, the reader, being able to navigate yet the sub-genre still allows us to escape.
Another reason for it popularity is that it was a time of opposing traits. The “world” (by world I mean Europe) is at war yet people are twisting every drop of joy from life. People are enlightened yet still harbor elitist, racist, sexist, and religious ideologies. Though those beliefs haven’t been eradicated from this world, most of them are not believed by a majority of people.
Much like other books, the Regency sub-genre can entertain while opening our minds to the modern problems we face.
Now if we could all get our own Happily Ever After in real life, all would be perfect.
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