Regency-era women had few rights, but readers can’t get enough of the period

If you’re drawn to historical fiction, you’ve probably noticed that nine years in the early 19th century seem to inspire and delight more writers and readers than any other era since the dawn of time.

Nine years? Really? Add the magic word “Regency” and listen to the sighs of recognition. The Regency era lasted from 1811, when England’s King George III was declared mad, and his son George began his rule as Prince Regent, until 1820, when the Prince Regent died, and George IV became king.

There was a lot going on then, including a few wars and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. But to most readers, Regency means perky heroines in high-waisted frocks, dashing heroes in high boots, and high times at society balls where deep emotions smoulder beneath polite enquiries about your family’s health.

The queen of Regency writers is, of course, Jane Austen, even though she was turning a very contemporary satirical eye on her peers. Always popular, I reckon she’s never been quite so feted as she is now, often by young women whose courtship rituals are a world away from Austen’s. I shudder to think what Austen would have made of dating apps, let alone sexting.

Last year, publishers celebrated Austen’s 250th birthday by bringing out special editions such as the Folio Society’s Illustrated Complete Novels and the Penguin Classic 250th Anniversary Collection. A statue of Austen went up outside Winchester Cathedral and thousands of fans in sprigged muslin descended on Bath for a parade, a series of balls and fireworks.

But Regency fiction is about far more than Austen’s six major novels. William Makepeace Thackeray created a very modern anti-heroine in Becky Sharp for his novel, Vanity Fair. And Georgette Heyer wrote 26 bestselling Regency novels that are still sought-after and enjoyed today, more than half a century after her death.

These days, there’s a flood of Regency fare, including Austen-inspired prequels, sequels and novels that focus on her minor characters. One of these is Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Girl, about Mary, the bookish sister in Pride and Prejudice. Many modern readers identify with this awkward teen, so it’s no surprise there’s going to be a BBC TV series. Readers also swooned over the sexed-up multiracial Regency romps in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series of novels and the spin-off TV series.

But why does the Regency era continue to hold such sway over readers? It’s not just escapism into a more glamorous time, though that certainly appeals. Sarah E. Ladd puts her finger on it. “Readers love to read tales of other women succeeding in a society determined to subdue them,” she writes in Lit Hub.

And what subduing there was. As Ladd reminds us, Regency women had very few rights. Their best chance for a secure future was a good marriage, and even then, the bride signed over all her legal rights to her husband, including rights to her own children. Happy ever after wasn’t necessarily romantic or even happy, but it was an economic necessity.

As an author (her latest Regency romance is An Unconventional Lady), Ladd sees that readers identify with a heroine facing constraints that seem silly today, but were essential for any lady determined to keep her reputation. “The rules of the game were different, but how would YOU act in a Regency Era situation if you were stripped of your modern rights?”

And no ladies are more unconventional than the detective sisters in Australian Alison Goodman’s bestselling series, The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies. They show how being single in the Regency era could still be adventurous and fun.

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