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The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern
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.
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First published April 30, 2019
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About the author
Robert Morrison
18 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert J.H. Morrison is a Canadian author, editor, academic, and professor of English at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Lethbridge in 1983, a Master of Philosophy at the University of Oxford in 1987 and his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1991.
He specializes in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature.
Robert J.H. Morrison is a Canadian author, editor, academic, and professor of English at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Lethbridge in 1983, a Master of Philosophy at the University of Oxford in 1987 and his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1991.
He specializes in late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature.
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December 6, 2022A terrific overview of the Regency. It's very easy to see the past as old-fashioned (duh) and set in stone: this is a useful corrective that focuses on it as a time of groundbreaking change, with people struggling against crushing oppression in many directions (including the weight of the past). It moves pretty briskly, touching on art, literature, science, politics, war, colonialism, orientalism, industry, the environment. That's all to the good, I'm exhausted with brick-thick tomes, and I've highlighted plenty to follow up. Very useful section on attitudes to homosexuality (Jeremy Bentham is always a valuable corrective to ideas of the past as a wholly bigoted place, though I'm really not sure we give a shit what William Beckford had to say about anything).
A smooth, fast read, pacy and interesting throughout.
A smooth, fast read, pacy and interesting throughout.
July 12, 2023
This is a dense and informative history of the years when George, Prince of Wales ruled Britain as Prince Regent. His father, King George III, who had suffered from bouts of mental illness for many years succumbed in late 1810 to a deeper darkness from which he did not return. His son ruled as Regent from February 5, 1811 until January 29, 1820, when George III died, then he became King George IV. I have become more familiar with the Regency through the TV series, Bridgerton, and have long been aware of the Regency Romances, but this history does not focus on the romance of the period to the exclusion of all the other important events occurring during those years.
Despite its brevity, the Regency was a time of major events, from the Luddite Riots and the War of 1812 to the Battle of Waterloo, the explosion of Mount Tambora, and the Peterloo Massacre. And it had a glorious cast, including Jane Austen, Beau Brummell, Lord Byron, John Constable, John Keats, Walter Scott, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, J. M. W. Turner, the Duke of Wellington, and of course the Regent himself.
I read this as part of Jane Austen July and plan to read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, a contemporary of Austen’s. I am not a fan of romance novels or TV shows usually . . . but have become convinced recently that I should read Jane Austen. Now I’m discovering that the historical period is quite fascinating and through this book I’ve started to extend my exploratory quest.
Robert Morrison covers crime and punishment, how regency era citizens entertained themselves, sexual behaviors, wars and the expanding empire, and how modernity and the Industrial Revolution was propelling the nation into the future. Although densely packed with facts, Morrison’s narrative style is accessible and my interest kept me engaged. He breaks up five chapters into more easily navigated subdivisions.
Sadly, for most people, the Regency era was nothing like the Bridgerton TV series, which focuses on the elite set. I’ve yet to read Jane Austen so it will be revealing to see if she brings the hapless lower class to life in her novels. London was a hotbed for criminal activity. In 1811, one million people lived in London. One member of Parliament calculated that more than 6,000 boys and girls lived solely on what they earned from crime. England’s punishments for crime were so severe that they were known as the “Bloody Code.” A child as young as seven could be hanged for the crime of poaching a rabbit or stealing.
My favorite section is about the entertainments of the era, because that is where you find the novelists and the theater.
In addition to Christmas and holiday shows, the theater offered an extraordinary range of other entertainments, from farces, ballet, operas, and dramas to magic acts, aquatic spectaculars, translations of foreign plays, and adaptations of fashionable novels. Some of the finest creative minds of the Regency were drawn to the theater, from successful playwrights such as Joanna Baillie, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Charles Robert Maturin, through avid theatergoers like Jane Austen, John Keats, and Lord Byron, to brilliant reviewers such as Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Leigh Hunt.
From the lower class filling the lower and upper galleries to the elites in their expensive boxes, the theater was a leveling experience offering respite, chuckles, or a therapeutic cry if the play was a tragedy.
The book contains many lovely black and white drawings, using a lot of hatching and crosshatching to render its subjects. They were all delightful and added greatly to my enjoyment of Morrison’s historical account. My favorite drawing is a caricature of the Regent drawn by George Cruikshak, published on December 4, 1819,
In “Loyal Address’s & Radical Petitions,” the Regent stands on a dais facing to the left a group of obsequious “Lords & Gentlemen” who hold scrolls reading “Loyalty,” while behind him to the right are a group of radical petitioners reeling backward from a powerful fart issuing from the Regent’s large bum. In the legend, the Regent tells the sycophants that they may “Kiss my Hand” while “it will be easy to guess what the other side may Kiss!!” Before the dais is an open book authored by “F. Fartardo.”
It’s a political cartoon that could work well today with certain figures who are full of . . .
Despite its brevity, the Regency was a time of major events, from the Luddite Riots and the War of 1812 to the Battle of Waterloo, the explosion of Mount Tambora, and the Peterloo Massacre. And it had a glorious cast, including Jane Austen, Beau Brummell, Lord Byron, John Constable, John Keats, Walter Scott, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, J. M. W. Turner, the Duke of Wellington, and of course the Regent himself.
I read this as part of Jane Austen July and plan to read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen and Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, a contemporary of Austen’s. I am not a fan of romance novels or TV shows usually . . . but have become convinced recently that I should read Jane Austen. Now I’m discovering that the historical period is quite fascinating and through this book I’ve started to extend my exploratory quest.
Robert Morrison covers crime and punishment, how regency era citizens entertained themselves, sexual behaviors, wars and the expanding empire, and how modernity and the Industrial Revolution was propelling the nation into the future. Although densely packed with facts, Morrison’s narrative style is accessible and my interest kept me engaged. He breaks up five chapters into more easily navigated subdivisions.
Sadly, for most people, the Regency era was nothing like the Bridgerton TV series, which focuses on the elite set. I’ve yet to read Jane Austen so it will be revealing to see if she brings the hapless lower class to life in her novels. London was a hotbed for criminal activity. In 1811, one million people lived in London. One member of Parliament calculated that more than 6,000 boys and girls lived solely on what they earned from crime. England’s punishments for crime were so severe that they were known as the “Bloody Code.” A child as young as seven could be hanged for the crime of poaching a rabbit or stealing.
My favorite section is about the entertainments of the era, because that is where you find the novelists and the theater.
In addition to Christmas and holiday shows, the theater offered an extraordinary range of other entertainments, from farces, ballet, operas, and dramas to magic acts, aquatic spectaculars, translations of foreign plays, and adaptations of fashionable novels. Some of the finest creative minds of the Regency were drawn to the theater, from successful playwrights such as Joanna Baillie, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Charles Robert Maturin, through avid theatergoers like Jane Austen, John Keats, and Lord Byron, to brilliant reviewers such as Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Leigh Hunt.
From the lower class filling the lower and upper galleries to the elites in their expensive boxes, the theater was a leveling experience offering respite, chuckles, or a therapeutic cry if the play was a tragedy.
The book contains many lovely black and white drawings, using a lot of hatching and crosshatching to render its subjects. They were all delightful and added greatly to my enjoyment of Morrison’s historical account. My favorite drawing is a caricature of the Regent drawn by George Cruikshak, published on December 4, 1819,
In “Loyal Address’s & Radical Petitions,” the Regent stands on a dais facing to the left a group of obsequious “Lords & Gentlemen” who hold scrolls reading “Loyalty,” while behind him to the right are a group of radical petitioners reeling backward from a powerful fart issuing from the Regent’s large bum. In the legend, the Regent tells the sycophants that they may “Kiss my Hand” while “it will be easy to guess what the other side may Kiss!!” Before the dais is an open book authored by “F. Fartardo.”
It’s a political cartoon that could work well today with certain figures who are full of . . .
August 23, 2020
“I never loved nor pretended to love her—but a man is a man--& if a girl of eighteen comes prancing to you at all hours—there is but one way.” At least, there is but one way if you’re Lord Byron, and Claire Clairmont, the stepsister of Mary Shelley (née Godwin) writes you fan mail. Not quite the stuff of, “She walks in beauty like the night,” perhaps, but both lines were penned by the same man.
It’s unsurprising that the subtitle of Canadian academic Robert Morrison’s The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern emphasizes the Romantic poet’s seductive rather than his literary prowess. Whether Byron deserves the title of the first literary celebrity or not, his persona is equally as famous and influential as his art. There are few writers whose name—“Byronic”—can also be used as an adjective.
The average American reader is likely most familiar with the Prince Regent (who gives the Regency its name) from Hugh Laurie’s iconic performance in Blackadder III, but according to Morrison, Laurie’s oafish parody is far too kind. The Regent’s womanizing and gastronomic excesses were much-parodied, but his greatest crime was his insensitivity to the oppression of the British people by their own government. One of the most notorious examples of this was Peterloo, which began as a peaceful demonstration in Manchester by radical leaders and ended with a massacre of the assembled civilians by British soldiers.
The contemporary conception of the Regency may conjure up images of witty heroes sporting quizzing glasses. But the stormy period was marked by the first and only assassination of a British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, described by Morrison as “anti-French, anti-Catholic, anti-slavery, and fiercely anti-reform.” The Prime Minister’s killer John Bellingham, when demanded to explain why he had done such a thing responded, “I have been denied the redress of my grievances by Government…I have been ill-treated.” Many would have agreed with the assassin’s sentiments if not his methods. The notorious Corn Laws kept the staple foods of the working classes—bread—artificially high. Less than fifteen percent of the adult male population could vote, thanks to property ownership requirements.
Despite such rampant inequality, the Regency was a time of great national pride. After all, Britain did defeat Napoleon, and Morrison writes a memorable account of what is described as “the most famous ball in history.” Held by the Duchess of Richmond for Wellington and his men, it was interrupted by the news that Napoleon had advanced into Belgium. Many troops, unwilling to end the evening of “lively music, good food, and beautiful women,” chose to “march in silk stockings and dancing pumps” rather than leave and prepare for the battle to come. The Regency was also an era of rapid industrialization and colonization. Britain was determined to ensure goods from sugar to rum to tea and opium flowed back from the colonies to satisfy Regency Britain’s unquenchable appetites.
Those appetites weren’t confined to food. Regency entertainments of dice, cards, horse racing, sport (including fox hunting and boxing), as well as the sport of the bedroom (venereal disease and prostitution were rampant), are all illuminated in exquisite detail. One anecdote involves a love token given by the infamous Lady Caroline Lamb to Lord Byron that shocked even the poet (hint—it was a lock of hair, but not from the lady’s head.). Another emblematic figure is the fiery, mercurial (and self-indulgent) actor Edmund Kean. His Shylock was praised by Jane Austen herself. “I cannot imagine better acting,” she wrote, although of another famous female tragedian, she sniffed, “I took two Pocket handkerchiefs, but had very little occasion for either.”
Morrison’s work, The English Opium-Eater, was a finalist for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He is thus well-qualified to address the seedier aspects of Regency life. Even for readers who shy away from history books, fearing such dry texts will bring on the need for a cool compress and a glass of Madeira, The Regency Years is great, rollicking fun. And an important one, as many of these same social and political challenges still linger on in Britain—and its former colonies—today.
It’s unsurprising that the subtitle of Canadian academic Robert Morrison’s The Regency Years: During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern emphasizes the Romantic poet’s seductive rather than his literary prowess. Whether Byron deserves the title of the first literary celebrity or not, his persona is equally as famous and influential as his art. There are few writers whose name—“Byronic”—can also be used as an adjective.
The average American reader is likely most familiar with the Prince Regent (who gives the Regency its name) from Hugh Laurie’s iconic performance in Blackadder III, but according to Morrison, Laurie’s oafish parody is far too kind. The Regent’s womanizing and gastronomic excesses were much-parodied, but his greatest crime was his insensitivity to the oppression of the British people by their own government. One of the most notorious examples of this was Peterloo, which began as a peaceful demonstration in Manchester by radical leaders and ended with a massacre of the assembled civilians by British soldiers.
The contemporary conception of the Regency may conjure up images of witty heroes sporting quizzing glasses. But the stormy period was marked by the first and only assassination of a British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, described by Morrison as “anti-French, anti-Catholic, anti-slavery, and fiercely anti-reform.” The Prime Minister’s killer John Bellingham, when demanded to explain why he had done such a thing responded, “I have been denied the redress of my grievances by Government…I have been ill-treated.” Many would have agreed with the assassin’s sentiments if not his methods. The notorious Corn Laws kept the staple foods of the working classes—bread—artificially high. Less than fifteen percent of the adult male population could vote, thanks to property ownership requirements.
Despite such rampant inequality, the Regency was a time of great national pride. After all, Britain did defeat Napoleon, and Morrison writes a memorable account of what is described as “the most famous ball in history.” Held by the Duchess of Richmond for Wellington and his men, it was interrupted by the news that Napoleon had advanced into Belgium. Many troops, unwilling to end the evening of “lively music, good food, and beautiful women,” chose to “march in silk stockings and dancing pumps” rather than leave and prepare for the battle to come. The Regency was also an era of rapid industrialization and colonization. Britain was determined to ensure goods from sugar to rum to tea and opium flowed back from the colonies to satisfy Regency Britain’s unquenchable appetites.
Those appetites weren’t confined to food. Regency entertainments of dice, cards, horse racing, sport (including fox hunting and boxing), as well as the sport of the bedroom (venereal disease and prostitution were rampant), are all illuminated in exquisite detail. One anecdote involves a love token given by the infamous Lady Caroline Lamb to Lord Byron that shocked even the poet (hint—it was a lock of hair, but not from the lady’s head.). Another emblematic figure is the fiery, mercurial (and self-indulgent) actor Edmund Kean. His Shylock was praised by Jane Austen herself. “I cannot imagine better acting,” she wrote, although of another famous female tragedian, she sniffed, “I took two Pocket handkerchiefs, but had very little occasion for either.”
Morrison’s work, The English Opium-Eater, was a finalist for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He is thus well-qualified to address the seedier aspects of Regency life. Even for readers who shy away from history books, fearing such dry texts will bring on the need for a cool compress and a glass of Madeira, The Regency Years is great, rollicking fun. And an important one, as many of these same social and political challenges still linger on in Britain—and its former colonies—today.
July 2, 2019
This concise history of the Regency years is a good introduction to the era, but it suffered a few setbacks in trying to cover as much as it could.
There were sections that hit me as just a barrage of names, with barely a sentence or two to distinguish them, especially in the first chapter(Crime, Punishment and the Pursuit of Freedom) which concentrates on crime, law and order (or the lack thereof), civil unrest.
The second chapter, (Theaters of Entertainment) also started with more names, names, names. Actors, actresses, theater owners, venues and so on. But, once the shift to novels occurred the pace slowed and the rest of chapter 2 was a delight.
Chapter 3 (Sexual Pastimes, Pleasures and Perversities) was quite frank and serious--not written to titillate, but to inform. (I may never again be able to read a historical romance set in this era). This is where the author also touches on the various morality, chastity, clean living, sin no more groups and their efforts to tame the level of debauchery accepted in current society.
Chapter 4 (Expanding Empire and Waging War), which starts with Waterloo, has the best concise recount of the War of 1812 that I have read. Of course, India and China receive a quick wrap-up, as does Raffles and the founding of Singapore.
Chapter 5 (Changing Landscapes and Ominous Signs) is a very mixed bag--changes wrought by the proliferation of factories, the improvement in the roads, the advent of railroads and other scientific advances. Travelogues and guide books also get a mention. There's a nice bit on painters Constable and Turner.
One note on the print edition. There are no (and I do mean NO) color illustrations. All of the embedded illustrations are black & white, or graytone: etchings, engravings, etc. This works well for all of the Cruikshank political cartoons and various pencil drawings. It is, of course, a total fail when the author is describing a Thomas Lawrence society portrait or a Turner 'landscape'.
All in all a worthwhile read, especially for all of the literature references and analysis. His bibliography and end notes are quite thorough and a good jumping off point for further digging.
I have one or two nits to pick, but they're not worth mentioning here.
There were sections that hit me as just a barrage of names, with barely a sentence or two to distinguish them, especially in the first chapter(Crime, Punishment and the Pursuit of Freedom) which concentrates on crime, law and order (or the lack thereof), civil unrest.
The second chapter, (Theaters of Entertainment) also started with more names, names, names. Actors, actresses, theater owners, venues and so on. But, once the shift to novels occurred the pace slowed and the rest of chapter 2 was a delight.
Chapter 3 (Sexual Pastimes, Pleasures and Perversities) was quite frank and serious--not written to titillate, but to inform. (I may never again be able to read a historical romance set in this era). This is where the author also touches on the various morality, chastity, clean living, sin no more groups and their efforts to tame the level of debauchery accepted in current society.
Chapter 4 (Expanding Empire and Waging War), which starts with Waterloo, has the best concise recount of the War of 1812 that I have read. Of course, India and China receive a quick wrap-up, as does Raffles and the founding of Singapore.
Chapter 5 (Changing Landscapes and Ominous Signs) is a very mixed bag--changes wrought by the proliferation of factories, the improvement in the roads, the advent of railroads and other scientific advances. Travelogues and guide books also get a mention. There's a nice bit on painters Constable and Turner.
One note on the print edition. There are no (and I do mean NO) color illustrations. All of the embedded illustrations are black & white, or graytone: etchings, engravings, etc. This works well for all of the Cruikshank political cartoons and various pencil drawings. It is, of course, a total fail when the author is describing a Thomas Lawrence society portrait or a Turner 'landscape'.
All in all a worthwhile read, especially for all of the literature references and analysis. His bibliography and end notes are quite thorough and a good jumping off point for further digging.
I have one or two nits to pick, but they're not worth mentioning here.
May 6, 2020
This is an extensive, well-researched work. It included good and the bad of the era. No sugar coating. It opened my eyes to the debauchery that permeated the times. Fair warning for the chapter on the in-depth exploration of the sexual scandals and practices of the time. So much to learn about this time and it’s impact on our world today.
May 24, 2019
Review to Come
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August 13, 2019I enjoyed this book very much! A well-written and cogent account of a few crucial years in the history of Great Britain. I admire how much ground it covered, not just the usual topics of politics and war. Those but also literature, theater, sports, painting, science, technology, race relations, industrialization, class struggles, events in North America...
Though I began thinking this book as if were a a guilty pleasure, because not about what I ought to be thinking about always -- namely, the Brontes -- in fact it is highly relevant. The Regency shaped the little Brontes' worldview, and the adults they became. The giants of their imaginative play as children are all here: Wellington and Napoleon, the Arctic explorers Ross and Parry, and of course Byron, looming over all of it.
Though I began thinking this book as if were a a guilty pleasure, because not about what I ought to be thinking about always -- namely, the Brontes -- in fact it is highly relevant. The Regency shaped the little Brontes' worldview, and the adults they became. The giants of their imaginative play as children are all here: Wellington and Napoleon, the Arctic explorers Ross and Parry, and of course Byron, looming over all of it.
December 18, 2024
This was a super fascinating and in-depth book solely talking about one of my favorite settings in fiction: the Regency. Honestly, as a long-time lover of Bridgerton and Jane Austen, I'm beginning to realize just how batshit insane things were during the Regency, that so many things were happening in such a short time. I learned so much about what makes this period so fascinating from a historian's (or even historical fictionist's) point of view, and why we're still consuming so much Regency media. At some points, though, the book was a little uncritical of the British Empire's actions abroad, most specifically in Singapore, where Morrison basically parrots the colonial narrative of Raffles turning Singapore from a sleepy fishing village into a modern metropolis. The book is a little bit too positive about what was happening in the world, but that said, I can't dock too many points, as when it delved into domestic issues, such as the rampant inequality brought about by industrialization, it didn't hold back. I think, all in all, the book is so fascinating because it paints a rather complete picture of what life was like at the time, something that reading other, more specific books, doesn't quite capture.
PS. Absolutely loved the chapter about sexuality; the sections about queerness was so so fascinating, both showing how the Regency was a time of profound oppression towards queer people and how queer people still found love and life despite that.
PS. Absolutely loved the chapter about sexuality; the sections about queerness was so so fascinating, both showing how the Regency was a time of profound oppression towards queer people and how queer people still found love and life despite that.
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February 10, 2023A sprightly tone made this general history of the Regency era an enjoyable read--funtil halfway through. It seemed to lean heavily on Paul Johnson's The Birth of the Modern... until we get to the section on literature, and then I began to wonder if Morrison was an economics prof, or an engineer. But no, he apparently teaches lit, God help his students.
How many errors on each page? Stupid errors. For example, his intimation that Darcy in Pride and Prejudice was based on Byron. Um, no, Byron was maybe five years old when Austen wrote the first draft of P&P. In fact, Morrison's assertions about Byron being the first "bad boy" of literature ignores Lovelace in Clarissa--Lord Rochester during Charles II's reign, and for that matter, Byron's line "There was a laughing Devil in his sneer" would not have been nearly as potent without the influence of Milton's suave and witty devil in Paradise Lost. Handsome bad buys were a staple of literature well before Byron tried to live the life of one as well as write them. (And Rochester did it better.)
There was a heavy emphasis on Frankenstein, as if this were the only work of the period Morrison had studied. I began to mistrust his assertions in the remainder of the book because of these howlers, in spite of the impressive bibliography at the back.
I wish I had not paid for this clunker.
How many errors on each page? Stupid errors. For example, his intimation that Darcy in Pride and Prejudice was based on Byron. Um, no, Byron was maybe five years old when Austen wrote the first draft of P&P. In fact, Morrison's assertions about Byron being the first "bad boy" of literature ignores Lovelace in Clarissa--Lord Rochester during Charles II's reign, and for that matter, Byron's line "There was a laughing Devil in his sneer" would not have been nearly as potent without the influence of Milton's suave and witty devil in Paradise Lost. Handsome bad buys were a staple of literature well before Byron tried to live the life of one as well as write them. (And Rochester did it better.)
There was a heavy emphasis on Frankenstein, as if this were the only work of the period Morrison had studied. I began to mistrust his assertions in the remainder of the book because of these howlers, in spite of the impressive bibliography at the back.
I wish I had not paid for this clunker.
April 13, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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. in.
The Regency isn't an overly long period, but there are some fascinating characters that populate it. I think what sets this book apart is that we learn about other figures of the period that are often forgotten. 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.
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. in.
The Regency isn't an overly long period, but there are some fascinating characters that populate it. I think what sets this book apart is that we learn about other figures of the period that are often forgotten. 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.
July 31, 2020
Meh. There’s nothing new here and Morrison brings no insight or spin or unifying theme, so it’s ultimately a string of anecdotes. Reasonably entertaining, but no more.
dnf
July 18, 2021DNF
Wow, this book was really truly boring despite the great title. I could read about three pages before falling asleep. Highly recommended for insomniacs.
I think this is the 5th book in my life that I have DNF'd . . .but seriously, I think it would take me a year to read the 300 pages at the rate I was going. TOO MANY names with no explanation of who the people were . . .
Wow, this book was really truly boring despite the great title. I could read about three pages before falling asleep. Highly recommended for insomniacs.
I think this is the 5th book in my life that I have DNF'd . . .but seriously, I think it would take me a year to read the 300 pages at the rate I was going. TOO MANY names with no explanation of who the people were . . .
August 30, 2019
2.5 stars
not a bad book; just not the book for me.
not a bad book; just not the book for me.
September 1, 2019
This book concerns the period from 1811-1820, between the time when King George III was incapacitated/insane and his eventual death in 1820, when he was succeeded by King George IV, who ruled England as the Prince Regent before eventually succeeding to the throne. This is a brief period of time and what could happen in Britain over such a brief period??? Hmm... Well Napoleon was defeated, and then defeated again. The beginnings of industrialization were apparent, along with protests against it and the initial stirrings for political reform. More generally, Morrison argues that the Regency years were a pivotal intermediary between traditional monarchical Britain and the start of Modern Britain and the Victorian Era in the 19th century. There is lots of cultural activity going on in Britain during this period and a surprising number of names are dropped, including many very well known ones, including Jane Austen, John Keats, Walter Scott, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, and artists J.M.W. Turner and John Constable.
Morrison is very learned and a fine writer. This is engaging history that makes one want to read more and even plan a trip to the Lake District, providing that Britain does not fall into the sea due to Brexit, which I suspect it will not. But ... history is about continuities and the Regency Years overlap strongly with what came before and after. It is a good read but I am not sure I am convinced.
The best case for the book was picked up by the author but could have been emphasized even more. So this is more a quibble about emphasis rather than a criticism. Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818 and Morrison notes that it is arguably one of the most important novels of the Regency Period. The story has been overshadowed by the movie and its many variants, but the story encapsulates many of the most interesting conflicts and tensions of the Regency years and is very different from the various stereotypes of the monster that most of us have come to know. Seeing the story today and knowing the historical context is worthwhile and enlightening.
Morrison is very learned and a fine writer. This is engaging history that makes one want to read more and even plan a trip to the Lake District, providing that Britain does not fall into the sea due to Brexit, which I suspect it will not. But ... history is about continuities and the Regency Years overlap strongly with what came before and after. It is a good read but I am not sure I am convinced.
The best case for the book was picked up by the author but could have been emphasized even more. So this is more a quibble about emphasis rather than a criticism. Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818 and Morrison notes that it is arguably one of the most important novels of the Regency Period. The story has been overshadowed by the movie and its many variants, but the story encapsulates many of the most interesting conflicts and tensions of the Regency years and is very different from the various stereotypes of the monster that most of us have come to know. Seeing the story today and knowing the historical context is worthwhile and enlightening.
February 20, 2019
Sorry for the Delay.
I want to thank the Goodreads giveaway program and W. W. Norton and Company for the opportunity to read this Book.
Mr. Morrison has given us a well-researched and written account of the decade known as the Regency years (1811-1820). From the Political and Social aspects, to the Arts and Innovations, as well as the Wars and Imperialism, we get a deep dive into the course of those years.
As readers we learn about the have and have-nots of England (and the rest of the UK and Ireland) at the time, the rise of the City Slums and the Crime that goes with it. There then begins the full extent of rise of Industrialization and the fight against it, from the Luddites to the Massacre of Peterloo.
The Arts of the Decade are used as an Arc for the book. From the works and commentary of Austen, Byron, Keats, the Shelleys and others (Actors to Painters), you get a good artistic and literary interpretation of those years.
The Napoleon and 1812 Wars are looked at, along with the rise of imperialism by way the East Indian Company. Innovations such as the Steam Engine and the analytical one by Babbage are given their due. .
All in all a real drawn out look at the history of the decade. I will say as a reader that at times you had to take moment and kind of slow things down or flatten out the information so that you could take it all in. But then again, that is what a really good history book and its author does; gives you all the information possible in a well written way. It was an education and an enjoyment.
I want to thank the Goodreads giveaway program and W. W. Norton and Company for the opportunity to read this Book.
Mr. Morrison has given us a well-researched and written account of the decade known as the Regency years (1811-1820). From the Political and Social aspects, to the Arts and Innovations, as well as the Wars and Imperialism, we get a deep dive into the course of those years.
As readers we learn about the have and have-nots of England (and the rest of the UK and Ireland) at the time, the rise of the City Slums and the Crime that goes with it. There then begins the full extent of rise of Industrialization and the fight against it, from the Luddites to the Massacre of Peterloo.
The Arts of the Decade are used as an Arc for the book. From the works and commentary of Austen, Byron, Keats, the Shelleys and others (Actors to Painters), you get a good artistic and literary interpretation of those years.
The Napoleon and 1812 Wars are looked at, along with the rise of imperialism by way the East Indian Company. Innovations such as the Steam Engine and the analytical one by Babbage are given their due. .
All in all a real drawn out look at the history of the decade. I will say as a reader that at times you had to take moment and kind of slow things down or flatten out the information so that you could take it all in. But then again, that is what a really good history book and its author does; gives you all the information possible in a well written way. It was an education and an enjoyment.
February 17, 2019
This is an excellent history of the brief and pivotal time of British History that was The Regency. Such characters as the inspiring roue Lord Byron, dandy Beau Brummell, and the insightful writer Mary Shelley all acted under a dissolute and distracted Regent during a time when Britain reigned supreme after finally coming out over France and before the disruptive industrialization of The Victorian Era.
Arranged almost as much topically as chronologically, if feels like this book could be opened and read anywhere. The author seems a bit more excited about literature and the impact and works of Jane Austen, Byron, Shelley (both of them) get some detailed analysis.
[I received an ARC to review this]
Arranged almost as much topically as chronologically, if feels like this book could be opened and read anywhere. The author seems a bit more excited about literature and the impact and works of Jane Austen, Byron, Shelley (both of them) get some detailed analysis.
[I received an ARC to review this]
April 17, 2022
I really appreciated Morrison's analyses of Austen and the novel. I also wish more context had been provided at times--at times it felt like reading a book about, say, the 1960s in the United States with only the briefest references to World War II. It also needed stronger editing--there were some terrible sentences and way too many commas. Still, this was completely worth my time, and I'm glad to have read it.
February 23, 2020
I really enjoyed this historical fiction book by my prof from Queen's, Prof. Morrison! Every page made me feel like I was back in one of his classes!
This book covers pretty much every topic you could think of to do with the Regency so you really get a great sense of the historical time period and all the historical figures feel like living and breathing people you can relate to. I love the little tidbits he includes--for example, he tells us that according to the leading courtesan of the day, Wellington was pretty boring in bed. These are the kinds of details you want to know in historical fiction.
Even though it's historical fiction, it's very readable and entertaining. The writing is fantastic. Would recommend 100% ! Five thumbs up!!
This book covers pretty much every topic you could think of to do with the Regency so you really get a great sense of the historical time period and all the historical figures feel like living and breathing people you can relate to. I love the little tidbits he includes--for example, he tells us that according to the leading courtesan of the day, Wellington was pretty boring in bed. These are the kinds of details you want to know in historical fiction.
Even though it's historical fiction, it's very readable and entertaining. The writing is fantastic. Would recommend 100% ! Five thumbs up!!
June 14, 2020
Robert Morrison shines a spotlight on 9 fascinating years in British history known as the Regency. Along with the political history, he highlights social history discussing artists, painters, writers, landscape architects, scientists, activists, social climbers, explorers,and inventors.
June 1, 2019
I read so many things set during the Regency period, I thought it was high time I learned something about it. This book was a nice overview of different aspects of that 9-year period: the art, military history, scientific and technological advances, and the society. A lot happened during that time, and the names of many of the major influencers of the time are still recognized today—Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Beau Brummell, Charles Babbage, John Constable, Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, etc.
The author doesn’t spend a ton of time with any subtopics of the broader topics mentioned in each chapter heading. Judging by his notes in the back of the book, each of these have been covered in more depth in other books. For me, it was just what I was looking for to get a feel for the time period and some context for the novels I read.
The Regent, later George IV, was not a popular or much-admired guy, but I liked this summary the author gave of him in the end.
Recommended for Regency period newbies like I am. If you’re already an expert on this biz, or if you’re looking for an in-depth look at a specific aspect or person from this period, it won’t be as satisfying.
The author doesn’t spend a ton of time with any subtopics of the broader topics mentioned in each chapter heading. Judging by his notes in the back of the book, each of these have been covered in more depth in other books. For me, it was just what I was looking for to get a feel for the time period and some context for the novels I read.
The Regent, later George IV, was not a popular or much-admired guy, but I liked this summary the author gave of him in the end.
Despite his undisputed failures, the Regent fostered a climate of intellectualism, patronage, and connoisseurship. More than any other member of the royal family either before or since, he believed that novelists, poets, singers, historians, actors, painters, musicians, scientists, architects, and engineers mattered, and during his Regency his well-known enthusiasm for the arts and sciences helped to energize the most extraordinary outpouring of creativity in British history.
Recommended for Regency period newbies like I am. If you’re already an expert on this biz, or if you’re looking for an in-depth look at a specific aspect or person from this period, it won’t be as satisfying.
June 22, 2019
Boy, if there was ever a book I wanted to like, this was it. After all, 1810s England! So much good stuff. The delicacy of a prince regnant. The Congress of Vienna. The War of 1812. The fat Corsican. And yet, each of those topics gets about 3 pages each. Instead Morrison goes on and on and on about sex and fashion and the Shelleys (I swear they show up in every chapter; the man is obsessed with Frankenstein). The note on the cover about how "relevant" the Regency years were to today's world should have been my first clue. When he got to the point of stating that the Bible doesn't disallow homosexuality (while offering no support or argumentation), I was tempted to give up. But that's against my creed, so I soldiered on.
Really a shame that such an important era would be reduced to lame cultural history. That's obviously where the field of historiography is today, and the discipline is much the less because of it.
Really a shame that such an important era would be reduced to lame cultural history. That's obviously where the field of historiography is today, and the discipline is much the less because of it.
July 23, 2020
This is really a great book that I nearly gave 5 stars. Morrison really seems to cover all of the social, cultural, and even a fair amount of political events in England from 1810 through 1820. We learn what the Regency was with a profile of the future George IV, we get many anecdotes and profiles of crime and punishment during this time, a look at sexual practices, pursuits, and proclivities, entertainment (theatre, drinking, games, cultural events amongst others), and then finally, the overview of worldwide events that propelled Britain to the forefront of the world, including a nice account of Waterloo, as well as the various economic and imperial entanglements during this decade. Finally, Morrison details the emerging concerns - environmental and economic-social - of the Industrial Revolution as well as the first efforts at the railroad. If you want a great overview of this decade, Morrison's book is the best in a while. Breezy yet in depth without overwhelming, it is an illuminating read even if you know some things about the Regency.
March 28, 2021
Really enjoyed this!! Very informative but told in an entertaining and highly readable style that made it a real pleasure to read! I really liked how each chapter focused on a different aspect of Regency life and how the different figures of the day played a role. By the end, I was definitely thoroughly convinced that this period has set the stage for the modern world as we know it!
I really enjoyed reading about the people of the Regency that I have studied before (this definitely took me back to some of my best university days!) like Jane Austen, Mary and Percy Shelley, Byron, all the classics and some that I didn't know before like Beau Brummell was one of my personal favourites too! Highly recommend!
I really enjoyed reading about the people of the Regency that I have studied before (this definitely took me back to some of my best university days!) like Jane Austen, Mary and Percy Shelley, Byron, all the classics and some that I didn't know before like Beau Brummell was one of my personal favourites too! Highly recommend!
November 7, 2020
The Regency period refers to the rule of George IV as Prince Regent before he was officially crowned king upon the death of his father. It spanned approximately 9 years from 1811 to 1820, a fairly influential and important decade featuring a variety of events from the publication of Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein and Byron’s Don Juan to the Peterloo massacre, the Luddite Riots, Robert Owen’s New Lanark experiments with socialism and the end of the Napoleonic wars. British society was changing as it headed for the new Victorian age with huge strides being made in medicine, technology and industry but also contained huge levels of inequality and colonial expansionism. Morrison provides a whistle stop tour of the main ideas and events of the time which works as an excellent introduction to the period. It’s very readable especially considering how much content is packed in here. I really enjoyed this book and it’s discussions of the shifting society and priorities is done mostly sensitively and Morrison takes great care to trace the events’ impacts on society today. Definitely a good starting point for someone interested in this period.
April 18, 2024
Regency England lives on in novels and romances, making nonfiction about these significant years so vital to get a more realistic sense of the era. I always forget that the Regency period was when Spencer Perceval was killed, the only time a British prime minister was assassinated, when computers were first thought of, authors like Austen, Byron, and Shelley write, and British society struggled to grapple with massive social-economic gaps. Overall, this history is expansive and approachable, and definitely worth reading for those interesting in exploring the Regency period outside of fiction.
October 13, 2024
I have been on a Regency era kick since the Jane Austen class I took last year so once I came upon this title in a used bookstore I knew I had to read it. I liked how the author handled both fun and vicious portions of the book with nuance and understanding(including things that would come after the time period). It put a smile on my face whenever certain authors were mentioned and was detailed enough for me to picture those moments. I can easily recommend the book for anyone who is curious about this moment in history that has impacted so much.
July 6, 2022
This was both an entertaining and informative overview of the Regency. I finished the book with a more wholistic understanding of the period and what it set up for the following era (as well as our current one). The structure and writing of the book kept me far more interested than I’d expected. Would recommend to anyone who loves the period or wants to learn more about this specific moment in British history.
March 21, 2024
A fun, fascinating romp through the Regency and all the aspects that made it the first true flush of modernity in so many ways. It's probably a bit of a pop-history-101 approach, but that suited me tremendously as someone familiar with the trappings but not the actual history. Very readable, and put a lot of things in excellent context for me, though honestly my strongest takeaway is a new understanding of why romance writers and readers like the period so much!
August 27, 2019
A breezy and informative history of the era in which Jane Austen, my favorite author, lived. My least favorite chapter was about war--battles bore me--though I learned something new about the War of 1812: it was the impetus for westward expansion and hastened the end of native American culture. I really liked how Morrison tied up every chapter with its impact on our modern times.
October 28, 2019
A rather short book to try and cover all the parts of the ten years of the official Regency during end of George III’s life. The author does provide a critical view of unjust policies regarding the poor, racism, slavery, and colonialism/globalism so it definitely isn’t a “Rah Rah Britain” book. It just didn’t seem to read very easily.
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