Ambassadors of sentiment

Few people in history actually define an era or period. Napoleon did briefly. I’d say the regnal eras, those dynastic periods defined by the reign of a king or queen, are the ones that seem to stick. Eras defined as Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean, Caroline, Georgian, Regency, and Edwardian, all have things about them that draw immediate images in our minds. As a long-time living history presenter, I see clothing styles first. Then I see the rest…

For the Tudor period I picture Henry VIII of course, but I also see architecture. Elizabethan fills my head with theater. Jacobean gives me images of Guy Fawkes and musketeers. The Caroline era comes to me in the form spaniels! (King Charles spaniels specifically). The Georgian era puts redcoats and revolution in my mind. Regency calls up empire dresses and Mr. Darcy. Mmm Darcy. And the Edwardian era comes to me with women’s suffrage and germ theory, not to mention it ushers in mechanized warfare.

Did you notice which one is missing from that list? Hint1: a long-running period utterly defined by one woman. Hint2: She had a HUGE family. Hint3: Her era fell between Georgian and Edwardian. From 1837 to 1901.

Yes, I’m speaking of Queen Victoria and the Victorian era. It was a long era because she was queen a long time. In that span so many things were credited to her –too many for this post. Check here for more. A lot of symbols come out of the Victorian era. In fact, Victoria herself was a symbol of British imperialism and pride. In the next few posts, I’m going to touch upon some great symbols that could be used to add depth to historical romance.

Today ~ The symbol of flowers during Victoria’s reign.

Flowers adorned just about everything in the Victorian era. Decor-wise, it was an extremely busy time for the eye. Flowers decorated every other inch of people’s lives, and men’s and women’s clothing and jewelry sported all manner of florals too. I offer a site with an impressive list of 371 Victorian flowers and their symbology. I’ve tucked a few into my stories.

A fantastic reference site with more info than flowers:

http://www.victorianbazaar.com/meanings.html

Tomorrow: More!

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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 80 entries to come.

Here’s one for today:

Prandicle (noun appeared 1656-1658)

small meal

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Today we have guest author Eileen Dreyer/Kathleen Korbel.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

All through January the RB4U authors are doing interviews. The thoughtful questions are a great way to get to know us. Commenting that day gives you a chance to win a collectable t-shirt. Come see!

Right now the COLD SNOW, HOT ROMANCE CONTEST is on! Three winners will each receive a $25 gift card for Amazon/Barnes & Noble, and split the other prizes randomly picked from prize list. Be sure to check all our pages for news about authors and their books, publishers and their books, and industry representatives. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

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Several promotional opportunities for romance authors can be found on my Exquisite Quills group blogs. Meet the founding authors and our guests.

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

Exquisite Quills Yahoo Group

First Kiss Wednesday ~ share your best 300 word kiss.

Set the Scene in Six~ share your backdrop or lead-up on Sundays.

The Genesis of a Book ~ share the spark that ignited your novel

Author Interviews ~ We’re booking late spring now.

Today’s author:

EQ’s own Jane Leopold Quinn

http://eq-recycled-reviews.blogspot.com/

A new place for your old stars to shine