Georgette Heyer's legacy in historical romance research
Start Date
23-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
23-4-2020 10:00 AM
Proposal Type
Individual Presentation
Abstract
The Regency England found in some of today’s most popular historical romances bears only a passing resemblance to the real English landscape of the early nineteenth century, but readers can be assured of finding a familiar world on the page each time they open a new Regency romance. The signposts of the period known and loved by romance readers owe their currency largely to Georgette Heyer, considered by many to be the pioneer of the Regency romance sub-genre.
But Heyer’s world was as invented as Mordor or Westeros, and it is important to consider the sociopolitical ramifications of the inclusions and exclusions Heyer made in her Regency society. This presentation examines the beloved Heyer traditions that make appearances in many modern Regency romances, such as Wednesdays at Almack’s and outings to Vauxhall Gardens, while delving deeper into Heyer’s limitations. According to Heyer’s biographers, she considered herself an author of ‘accurate’ historical fiction, but historians, linguists, and others have identified ways in which her world was entirely fictive. Moreover, Heyer brought many of her own particular views on race, gender, sex, and religion to her novels, and her insertions and omissions have cast a long shadow over historical romance that bears addressing.
Heyer was a diligent researcher when it suited her, but how significant is it that many modern authors set their romances in a fictional Regency world that was created in the 1930s and 40s? What are authors doing now to address some of Heyer’s most harmful biases?
Georgette Heyer's legacy in historical romance research
The Regency England found in some of today’s most popular historical romances bears only a passing resemblance to the real English landscape of the early nineteenth century, but readers can be assured of finding a familiar world on the page each time they open a new Regency romance. The signposts of the period known and loved by romance readers owe their currency largely to Georgette Heyer, considered by many to be the pioneer of the Regency romance sub-genre.
But Heyer’s world was as invented as Mordor or Westeros, and it is important to consider the sociopolitical ramifications of the inclusions and exclusions Heyer made in her Regency society. This presentation examines the beloved Heyer traditions that make appearances in many modern Regency romances, such as Wednesdays at Almack’s and outings to Vauxhall Gardens, while delving deeper into Heyer’s limitations. According to Heyer’s biographers, she considered herself an author of ‘accurate’ historical fiction, but historians, linguists, and others have identified ways in which her world was entirely fictive. Moreover, Heyer brought many of her own particular views on race, gender, sex, and religion to her novels, and her insertions and omissions have cast a long shadow over historical romance that bears addressing.
Heyer was a diligent researcher when it suited her, but how significant is it that many modern authors set their romances in a fictional Regency world that was created in the 1930s and 40s? What are authors doing now to address some of Heyer’s most harmful biases?