Era: Georgian, Regency, and Victoria with Kellyn Roth

There's a lot of time to be covered in historical fiction, and I have Kellyn Roth here to break down three eras that I, personally, can never seem to keep straight - Georgian, Regency, and Victorian. (I mean, they all take place in England, right?).

Kellyn is the author of several lovely victorian novels - and her latest, At Her Fingertips just released. Do check them out!

Kellyn Roth

Christian/Romance/Historical Fiction

Author of At Her Fingertips

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Hello reader!
Today I’m going to be talking a little bit about how to write historical fiction set in the following eras: Georgian, Regency, and Victorian.

Now, I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of experience writing Georgian and Regency—I’ve only wrote short stories in those eras—but I cannot tell you how many novels I’ve read which were set in those eras. And, of course, Victorian fiction is my speciality!

Georgian
The Georgian era is the one I know the least about; I’ll admit that freely. However, it is a very interesting—and lengthy—era!

Specifically, the Georgian era stretched from 1714-1837 … and as you probably know, a lot happened during that time! Officially, it even encompasses the Regency era from 1811-1820 as defined by when there was actually a “Prince Regent,” or 1795-1837, as defined by architecture, fashions, and, of course, literature. More on that in the “Regency” section.

For the purpose of fiction, we’ll define Georgian as the early 1700s through 1795. And, once again, you’ll note that … a lot happened during that era! The Colonial Period in America is included in this period, as well as the birth of the United States of America, and most of the French Revolution.

The era is named after the English monarchs—King George I through King George IV.

Regency
Ah, Regency, age of Jane Austen and every modern-day historical romance author who fails at mimicking her. ;)

The Regency era officially stretches from 1811 through 1820, when George III was ill and his son, George IV, ruled by proxy. When George III died, the real “Regency era” was over. Since this was defined by England’s kings, this is more in England than America; in America, this period of time is called the ‘Federalist era.’

However, most literature doesn’t define the Regency era as such, but rather from 1795 through 1837 (when Queen Victoria was crowned). Why? Because of the architecture, politics, fashions, and culture. An era is oftentimes more defined by people and trends than monarchs. Some will define 1820 through 1837 as the Middle Romantic Period, inspired heavily by Tennyson.

There’s so much about this era that I’d like to tell you about, but it would take up more like ten blog posts, so I’ll try to hit the highlights. Popular books outside of the Christian fiction genre like to portray is as wild and scandalous, with secrets everywhere.

I don’t know about that—as I said before, Jane Austen!—but it was still a world ruled by strict rules, if not quite as strict as those during the Victorian era.

During this era, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 took place. It was also the era when the Ton became prominent. “The Ton” is a term used to refer to Britain’s high society during this era and later. It’s a little like the “Upper Ten Thousand,” though it can more commonly refer to the English aristocracy.

Victorian

And that brings us to the Victorian era, my personal favorite of the three!

Officially, this era stretched from 1837 to Queen Victoria’s death in 1901. However, I would loosely define it as 1830 through 1900—once again due to popular trends.

The Victorian era was an age of strict rules. I believe it’s what most think of when old England comes to mind. It was also the age when many modern inventions such as the telegraph and train were introduced—and even automobiles were invented and began to be improved upon.

During the Victorian era, an Industrial Revolution took place. There had been factories before, but now they sprung up wildly, and immigration to America picked up. Many were quite poor and forced to work for low wages, but slowly good men stood up to this, and towards the end of the Victorian era a revolution of another sort took place. Slowly, better working conditions would prevail.

So many things happened during this era that I’d better stop now. However, needless to say, it is jam-packed with interesting subject material.

Popular Literature Written and Set in This Era
Georgian

The first books that come to mind are ones about the Founding Fathers and other stories related to the American Revolution such as Johnny Tremain. Then there are books about the French Revolution—The Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities.

Regency

Everything Jane Austen, of course, as well as Georgette Heyer, who is said to have founded the Regency romance genre. It’s a large subgenre including many authors such as Julie Klassen, Kristi Ann Hunter, and Sarah E. Ladd.

Victorian
A few popular authors of the Victorian era were Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Martha Finley, and Charlotte Bronte.

Well, that was confusing!
If you’re like me, looking at those dates has probably made your mind explode a little. Okay, not really, but you’re probably at least a little concerned. “Seems like a lot of stuff to be learned and remembered if you’re going to write a book set 100+ years ago (Victorian) or even as long ago as 200 years (Georgian)!”

True, you’re going to have to do some research if you plan to write a novel set in one of these eras. However, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re all extremely fun periods of time.

Honestly, the #1 reason I write historical fiction is because it allows me to escape to a different world while not having to do worldbuilding and all that. Yes, the research can be extensive—especially if you intend to base the story off a true event or some such—but the world is already there.

Also, I personally find it easier to bring through real life themes and people in, well, real life! The experiences may be distant from the modern day world, but there’s still a glisten of reality to it.

If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them to be the best of my ability. Always available to talk over social media or through email, kellynroth@gmail.com.