Georgette Heyer Fans discussion

For those GH fans who were interested in the recent online conference "Heyer: The Nonesuch of her Time and the Original Influencer", there is now a video available on YouTube.

Here's your link:

https://youtu.be/3kqGB6dCRF0

Thank you so much for this Barb!

I'm going to view tomorrow!

Hooray! Thank you for the link!

& I have watched the first part & would love to discuss it with everyone.

I didn't necessarily agree with everything that was said though. For example, I do think most of GH's stronger novels do have a very tightly driven plot.

& GH herself did drink gin, so like the convener I would love to see a Heyer gin!

There's a Jane Austen gin in Bath so maybe if people write to them, they'll make a Heyer gin. I have yet to watch the conference but I look forward to seeing it.

I watched the first part a few days ago. I think it was while they were talking about Bridgerton that the panelists made some interesting observations about Heyer adaptations (or the lack of them) and also about Austen adaptations.

ETA: come to think of it, that's also when they discussed her plots. Like Carol, I always thought she was a tight plotter, but a couple of them expressed the opinion that her plots aren't her strongest point. I cannot summarize the rest of the discussion too thoroughly, but they did seem to feel it would be difficult to do justice to the books (and to capture what it is about the books that fans love).

I'm hoping to get to the other parts very soon. We are heading into winder, so I know I'll have more time then.

I watched the first part today. The discussion on why Heyer preferred her more serious novels to her Regencies was interesting. I believe that's because academia tends to discount popular literature. It took 100 years for Austen to be studied at Oxford and only then it was Mansfield Park and the slavery issue. She's more popular now than she was prior to the 1990s so academics teach Jane Austen in the classroom. Perhaps Heyer will get more respect when more time has passed. People still tend to dismiss "romance" novels and "chick lit" as not being worthy. Perhaps Heyer had impostor syndrome that is common in women and felt that her Regency novels weren't good enough.

I also liked the question about Heyer and Wodehouse and 1930s screwball movies. Wodehouse started his career in the theater and published his first stories earlier than Heyer but both writers probably hit the same market as the movies-people who wanted to be entertained during tough times. Many of us here have stated Heyer is comforting in times of stress or illness.

I listened to some of the second part and again they bring up Heyer's lack of respect as serious literature. "Escapist" doesn't mean BAD. Escapist means something different to everyone. I think it stems from the fact that Heyer, like Katie Fforde and other romantic comedy writers of today are looked down upon because they write for and about women and of course comedy is not as well respected as say Thomas Hardy. It's Ok for him to write about women because his novels tend to be depressing which is OK for some people but give me romantic comedy over women being oppressed any day. Patrick O'Brien writes about a man's world. Enter social history and it becomes "frivolous" and not worthy according to the "worthy" critics. The study of history is like that even today. I heard an interesting podcast panel discussion with female historians from the U.K. and when one mentioned she studies Ancient Egypt, she said men always assume she studies women and childbirth. No, she says, that's not what I study. The men continue to insist she stick to women's concerns.
I think it was this one History Extra

I finally finished listening. I enjoyed Stephen Fry's introduction. He's a Janeite as well and he obviously has great taste in literature. (I'm also a fan of P.G. Wodehouse).

I was surprised and liked hearing about the correlations between Heyer and sci-fi. I also liked hearing about the historian making comparisons between WWI and An Infamous Army. I'm curious to learn what she discovered. I'm a historian and I find it hard to read historical fiction and watch movies/TV sometimes but Heyer is one of the authors I trust got it right.

Modern rom-coms don't always appeal to me but I might check out Katie Fforde.

It's very sweet to hear all the stories about readers who first met Heyer's books through their mothers or grandmothers. It's the opposite in my family. I introduced my parents to Regency romances and period dramas.

I'll have to see if I can track down a copy of the book.

Barb, thanks again for the link! (Coming to it a bit late, I know, just have been so busy this year.)

me, too, thank you for the link and I will watch it after my move.

How have I only found this link now? So looking forward to watching it. Have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow so I'm lining it up for Friday night. A treat just for me :)

Interesting :) ! Thanks.