As an historian who is more than well-acquainted with medieval British history to the present, I have covered the Regency period many times. However, in many of my discussions with fellow Austenites, I’ve come to realise that the Regency years are actually a hazy, vague period that many people aren’t familiar with beyond the name. However, lightning struck on NetGalley! I was perusing history books one day, and found the perfect book. This is a general history of the Regency Years by Robert Morrison, and it is the answer to everyone’s Austen questions that are burning.
The Regency (always capitalised) period is 1811-1820, and is thus named because the Prince of Wales (aka the future George IV) was Regent. His father, George III, was well into his madness and someone had to rule in his stead. It just happened to be the somewhat morally questionable Prince George… Fashion, literature, morality, society all went through significant shifts during the Regency, and it is incredibly important.
And why should this matter to Austenites? Well, our beloved Jane was a very active writer during the Regency years. Writing, editing, and publishing, the changes that occurred during the Regency period affected her novels. Once you understand the context of the period, her novels and writings feel even more rich and detailed. And this book is the perfect book to give you this background!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern, Robert Morrison – 30 April 2019
The Victorians are often credited with ushering in our current era, yet the seeds of change were planted in the years before. The Regency (1811–1820) began when the profligate Prince of Wales—the future king George IV—replaced his insane father, George III, as Britain’s ruler.
Around the regent surged a society steeped in contrasts: evangelicalism and hedonism, elegance and brutality, exuberance and despair. The arts flourished at this time with a showcase of extraordinary writers and painters such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, the Shelleys, John Constable, and J. M. W. Turner. Science burgeoned during this decade, too, giving us the steam locomotive and the blueprint for the modern computer.
Yet the dark side of the era was visible in poverty, slavery, pornography, opium, and the gothic imaginings that birthed the novel Frankenstein. With the British military in foreign lands, fighting the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the War of 1812 in the United States, the desire for empire and an expanding colonial enterprise gained unstoppable momentum. Exploring these crosscurrents, Robert Morrison illuminates the profound ways this period shaped and indelibly marked the modern world.
What Did I Think?
I really enjoyed this book! It’s not an academic history of the period, but it is perfect for context. Quite frankly, it is a lot of fun! Morrison covers literature as expected, and Wellington and Napoleon and the wars of the day. He also looks at the domestic politics of the Regency, and the abolition of slavery. Low culture and high culture alike feature, not to mention the fashion of the day. Morrison has a tall order to cover the entirety of the Regency, and he does an amazing job of doing it. It can sometimes feel like a lot of information coming at you at once, but you can certainly read it slowly to take it all in.
The Regency isn’t an overly long period, but there are some fascinating characters that populate it. Beau Brummell, the original dandy, was really the Vogue of the day. He dictated the ebbs and flows of men’s fashion during the Regency and socially held a great deal of power. Lord Byron is clearly one of the most frantically interesting writer, and although he lived until 1824, his hey-day was the Regency. And of course, Jane Austen. But I think what sets this book apart is that we learn about other figures of the period that are often forgotten. John Rennie was a civil engineer in the period, and built the Regent’s Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, and Southwark Bridge, which was no small feat. And have you heard of him? Probably not before now.
I also enjoy that it covers all of the UK, and even parts of the Continent and North America. It’s not just focused on London or Windsor, or any one place. When I think of the Regency, I think of London and I think of Bath. But the changes that happened in the Regency also happened in Manchester and Edinburgh and Cambridge and everywhere else, and Morrison does a fantastic job at conveying that. It’s rare to find a Regency book that covers all areas of life and society, not to mention one that does it across the UK. Overall, this is an impressive read and it is absolutely required reading for the Regency period.
For any Austen fans, I would thoroughly recommend looking at Only a Novel: The Double Life of Jane Austen. It is a look at her writings (including her short stories and correspondence) through the lens of her life. If you’ve read Austen’s novels, it’s a particularly enjoyable read, as it feels like a million new connections between them. And of course, 3 Books for the Modern Jane Austen Reader!
Are you going to be reading The Regency Years by Robert Morrison? And what is your favourite Regency book, fiction or non-fiction?
Cheers,
The Historian
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