The Regency Years
During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern
by Robert Morrison
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Pub Date Apr 30 2019 | Archive Date Apr 30 2019
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Description
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A surprising history of the era that brought our modern world decisively into view.
Though the Victorians are often credited with ushering in our modern era, the seeds were planted in the years before. The Regency (1811– 1820) began when the profligate Prince of Wales replaced his insane father, George III, as Britain’s ruler; around the regent surged a society of evangelicalism and hedonism, elegance and brutality, exuberance and despair. The arts showcased extraordinary writers and painters such as Austen, Byron, the Shelleys, Constable, and Turner. Science gave us the steam locomotive and the blueprint for the modern computer.
Yet the dark side of the modern era was visible in the poverty, slavery, pornography, opium, and gothic imaginings that birthed Frankenstein. And all the while, the British Empire fought in foreign lands: the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the War of 1812 in the United States. Exploring these crosscurrents, Robert Morrison illuminates the profound ways this period shaped and indelibly marked the modern world.
About the Author: Robert Morrison, author of The English Opium-Eater, a finalist for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, is Queen's National Scholar at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780393249057 |
| PRICE | $29.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Anne M, Reviewer
Regency England (1811-1820) is one of the time periods most favored for historical fiction and movies. It is the time of the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Byron and Shelley, Austen and Scott. In The Regency Years, Robert Morrison aims to give the general reader an in-depth look at this short, but important, time span. He argues that the Regency period plants the seeds for the modern age we think of being ushered in by the Victorians.
Morrison does an excellent job of examining both the positive and the negative parts of Regency life. The grandeur and beauty live side by side with the excesses and squalor. Chapters cover economics, social reforms, political strife, literature, science, colonialism and war, sex and entertainment. While the majority of The Regency Years does not contain information that is new to Regency history devotees, Morrison presents it in a way that ties together aspects of Regency life in new and interesting ways. Quotes from letters, diaries, and references to popular literature create a well-rounded and well-researched history.
Fast-paced and written in a lively and engaging style, The Regency Years is an excellent history for readers beginning to study the time period, and a detailed, delightful read for those looking to round out their knowledge of this fascinating time period.
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