Forever a popular period drama setting, Bridgerton has once again brought the Regency into the spotlight. Whether or not people are loving the show and rewatching it, or raging against it, people are talking about the Regency. As an historian, I enjoy certain periods for specific reasons (more on that below). However, seeing the meteoric rise of Bridgerton over the past few weeks has prompted a question- why do we love the Regency so much? What is it about this period that draws so many people in?
Why An Historian (aka me) Loves the Regency
I love to study many periods in history, and couldn’t narrow it down to just one. However, I have loved the Regency from a young age. And thinking on it from an historian’s perspective, I have a few reasons why.
- It is a set period, and relatively short! If you are looking at the Regency proper, it is 1811 to 1820. However, if you are going with the looser definition of Regency (based on trends in fashion, architecture, and culture), it could range from 1795 to 1837. In any case, it nicely provides limits to your research- important for any historian!
- It has a separate visual identity! When looking at fashion or architecture, you can easily recognise the Regency period. It is quite easy to get muddled in fashion from 1837 to 1901, and you will be forever figuring out which style bustle you are looking at. However, the Regency has a strong image, and it doesn’t take any specialist study to recognise it.
- Much of my favourite books and ballets have their start in the wider Regency period. Of course, I adore Jane Austen and her books. (Though there are certainly other Regency authors just as worthy of your time.) And La Sylphide, one of my favourite ballets, was first performed in 1832.
I do recognise that as an historian, I probably have put a lot more thought into this than most people. However, I’ve still got to ask- what about everyone else?
Why Do We Love the Regency?
I’ve always wondered why people love specific periods of time. (For example, I don’t mind the Tudors but I wouldn’t want to spend ALL of my time researching it.) What draws people to these periods? Why do they keep coming back, time and time again? I think there are a few reasons with the Regency in specific, that make people fall in love.
1) Jane Austen
I think the obvious and first answer has to be Jane Austen. Right or wrong, she is often touted as one of the most talented English writers of all time. Students are often required to read one of her books in secondary and post-secondary literature courses. She is almost ALWAYS on “classic reading lists”. And debates over the film and television adaptations of her works are complicated enough to start wars. (“Which Mr. Darcy is your favourite??”, “is Emma Austen’s greatest work?”, “Sanditon– arrgh!”- all commonly heard.) People know of Austen’s popularity, and I think that translates over to the Regency as a whole.
While I do love Austen’s works, and Northanger Abbey is my favourite novel, I do find the cult of Austen to be rather terrifying if you get too close. If someone quotes a movie adaptation instead of Austen directly, there is quite often a snarky rebuke reminding them that it is in fact “NOT AUSTEN”. And if you, like me, dare to argue that Northanger Abbey is actually one of her most enjoyable works (especially given that she wrote it early in her writing career), you will be met with cries of PERSUASION!!!. In any case, the popularity and passion of Austenites carries the Regency.
If you are in the mood for more Jane Austen, you can find my reading list here or my walking tour of Jane Austen’s Bath here (when travel is safe)!
2) The Regency’s Visual Identity
Although my enjoyment of this might be more meta, I do think that people appreciate being able to recognise what they are looking at. Those empire waisted dresses, pelisses, white muslin gowns, and tan breeches are fairly easy to spot. While fashion historians currently rage about corsets and colours in Bridgerton, the average person can recognise the Regency silhouettes that defined the period’s fashion, and that goes a long way.
And that also applies to the neoclassical architecture that we see throughout the show, and many Regency pieces. The Georgian sweeping crescents of Bath are popular choices, because people can identify them immediately. Much of London and surviving country houses are also built in the Neo-Palladian style (or in a later imitation), and that identity serves well.
Love Georgian architecture? Visit the Circus here and the Royal Crescent here!
3) It Is Different From the Modern, But Not Too Different
By the Regency period, life has become much more familiar to us. There is an elected government with a prime minister. And the British Empire is well on its way to conquering much of the globe. (Although we are very much dealing with the effects of post-colonialism now.) Beheadings (in Britain) are uncommon, and even dueling was falling out of fashion. (Yes, you see an almost-duel in Bridgerton, but they were illegal from 1571 and quickly fell in popularity in the late eighteenth century.)
The Regency is different enough from the modern to be interesting and different, but not so different that it feels alien to us. People either seem to love or hate the medieval period, and a lot of it seems to stem from how radically different it is from life as we know. Regency life was different but we can still see pieces of our own lives.
The Popularity of Bridgerton
By the second week of January 2021, Bridgerton is in the top 5 most watched Netflix premieres. There are rumours that there will be 6-8 seasons total, and it is breaking countless records. Given that Netflix has several original period dramas, I’ve got to guess that the Regency setting has a role in that. Here is hoping that we do get more seasons of Bridgerton coming soon!
What are your thoughts: why do we love the Regency so much?
Cheers,
The Historian
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