Here's Jo, with some quick thoughts on the Regency romance, which has been in the light recently because of the Georgette Heyer biography. This is a bit of a rant, in fact, about the occasional regency-set book that seems to have been written by someone who doesn't truly like Regency Romance -- or my vision of Regency Romance.
(The Jane Austen Made Me Do It anthology isn't Regency Romance, though my story takes place there.)
I see the appeal of the Regency as a playground -- a place to move through glittering high society where at least some of the men are both handsome and witty, and where a heroine can marry into love and luxury. Therefore, I have little interest in the seamier side of the period, though I don't mind the practical. By that, I mean, I don't mind elements of food limitations by season, cold houses in winter, and long journeys. I don't want the focus on the plight of the poor and oppressed. That might be shallow, but I'll read text books for that, not fiction.
I can't understand why anyone would write a regency romance with a sour tone of disapproval, pointing out the silliness of many social activities, peopling the ton with lazy, greedy, rude people, and presenting protagonists who are so much more worthy because they have started out in a lower class, or, that matter, in another land, such as America.
To me, that rather like Disneyworld giving lectures at every turn about idleness and self indulgence, and papering the place with pictures of inner city poverty and the lonely aged.
Also, the engine of the Regency Romance is Society, definitely with a capital C. Society can bring together two people who would not otherwise have connected, or stand in the way of two people who love. Its rules can compel. Quite a few Regency historicals ignore rules for plot convenience, but I think to do so loses the energy of the genre.
Very often, a good Regency involves two opposites confronted by society. Heyer did very well with opposites. She knew her craft! Nora Roberts has said that if the hero is a firefighter, the heroine had better be an arsonists, and her JD Robb books match a thief (reformed) with a cop.
Here are some examples.
The maiden and the rake: Venetia, Devil’s Cub
The innocent and the jaded sophisticate: Arabella, Sylvester, Corinthian
The lively lady and the stuffed shirt: Grand Sophy
The lady and the outsider: Black Sheep,
Ward/guardian: Regency Buck
Sensible woman and the grand catch: Frederica, Sprig Muslin
What other opposites can you think of in Regency Romance? And do you agree with me about anti-elegance romance, or do you enjoy them? Are you a revolutionary or republican at heart?
Or the ultimate question -- if you enjoy Regency-set romances, why?
Jo