Regency romance facts for kids
Regency romances are a special kind of romance novels. They are set during a time in British history called the Regency era (from 1811 to 1820). These stories are not just modern romances moved to the past. They have their own unique plots and writing styles.
Many of these stories were inspired by Georgette Heyer. She wrote more than 20 novels set in the Regency period, starting in 1935. Her books, along with a type of fiction called the novel of manners, helped shape this genre. Traditional Regency romances often feature clever and quick conversations between the main characters.
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Types of Regency Romances
People who read and write Regency romances often talk about two main types: "Traditional Regency Romance" and "Regency Historical." Many authors started by writing Traditional stories before moving on to Historical ones. Some of these authors include Mary Balogh and Loretta Chase.
Traditional Regency Stories
Traditional Regency romances follow the style of Georgette Heyer. They focus mainly on the love story. Writers of these books pay close attention to historical details. Their readers are known for noticing mistakes! So, authors do a lot of research to make sure their stories sound like they truly belong to the Regency period.
After Heyer's books became popular in the United States in the 1960s, many publishers started printing similar books. Publishers like Signet and Fawcett published these "Traditional Regencies" in paperback.
Regency Historical Stories
Regency-set books by authors like Eloisa James are often called "Regency Historical" works. These stories might show more about real life in the past. Or, sometimes, the characters might act more like modern people, even though the story is set in the Regency era. This means their actions or feelings might not perfectly match how people behaved back then.
These "Regency Historical" novels often explore deeper emotions or more adventurous plots. They are still set in Regency England, but they go beyond the usual style of the earlier Regency romances.
What You'll Find in Regency Romances
Many Regency romance novels share common elements. Here are some things you might often see:
- The ton: This was the name for the most fashionable and important people in society.
- Social events: Stories often show activities from the "social season." This was a time when wealthy families went to London for parties and events. You might read about carriage rides, visiting friends, dinner parties, balls, and going to the theatre or opera.
- Gentlemen's sports: Young, fashionable men often enjoyed activities like riding horses, boxing, fencing, or hunting.
- Social class differences: The stories often explore how different social classes interacted.
- Marriages of convenience: In the Regency era, marrying for love was not always an option. Many marriages were arranged to secure money or social standing for the family.
- False engagements: Sometimes characters pretend to be engaged for various reasons.
- Mistaken identity: Characters might be confused for someone else, either by accident or on purpose.
- Mystery or funny situations: Some plots include elements of mystery or farce, which means they have silly or exaggerated events.
- The peerage of England: The system of ranks like Duke, Marquess, and Earl was very important. It played a big role in who married whom.
Here are the ranks of the peerage, from highest to lowest:
- Duke
- Marquess
- Earl
- Viscount
- Baron
How Popular Are These Stories?
Like other types of books, Regency romances have times when they are very popular and times when they are less so.
Their popularity went down in the 1990s as other historical romances became more common. In the early 2000s, both Regency and other historical romances became less popular than stories set in modern times.
The last two big publishers in the U.S. that regularly printed the shorter, "traditional" Regencies were Zebra and Signet. This stopped in 2005 and 2006. However, some new "traditional" Regencies are still published today by smaller companies. You can also find older Regency books in second-hand stores or as e-books.
Not all Regency romance novels are light and simple. Authors like Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney sometimes show the harder parts of Regency society. They explore social problems and characters who might be dealing with difficult feelings or past traumas.
