Author Ally Broadfield and Reading Books During the Regency

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Author Ally Broadfield and Reading Books During the Regency

I’m SO excited to introduce you all to Ally Broadfield! Her post is so much fun and, as always, a bit informative too. Please welcome Ally with lots of comments. And as always, I’ve included some music you can listen to–Regency era music. Click here to listen. And now, here’s Ally!!!

Reading Books During the Regency

I’m a librarian, an avid reader, and a writer, so books are a huge part of my life. When I start thinking about the characters for a new story, I always wonder what sort of books my heroine would read. Since I write Regencies, it’s a given that my heroines will read Jane Austen’s books. But what other contemporary books might my heroines have read?

I was surprised by how many female writers there were during the Regency. Anne Radcliff, a pioneer of gothic literature, had six books published just prior to and during the Regency, including her most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho. Frances Burney published four novels and was known for her comic and satirical style. Mary Shelley introduced many readers to horror when Frankenstein was published in 1818.

Poetry blossomed during the Regency. Lord Byron was the most fashionable romantic poet of the period, but John Keats, William Wordsworth, and Percy Bysshe Shelley were also well known. Though William Blake went largely unrecognized during his lifetime, I like to think that there were some fans of his remarkably expressive and creative work.

What I find most interesting is that, in addition to Jane Austen’s wonderful books, many other books published during the Regency period are still popular today. Like Shelley’s Frankenstein, Radcliff’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Sir Walter Scott’s medieval fantasy, Ivanhoe, which was published in 1820.

I just love the mental image of my heroine curled up in the library reading one of these books. Of course, depending on when the story takes place during the Regency, not all of these books would have been available. There isn’t always an opportunity to fit reading into my stories, but knowing what sort of books my heroine would read adds another dimension to her personality.

Bio:

Ally lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and several reptiles. Oh, and her husband. She likes to curse in Russian and spends most of her time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia.

Places you can find Ally:

Website: http://allybroadfield.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/allybroadfield

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abroadfield

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AllyBroadfield

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZ98KE4QU__pnI5mkiWAeg/videos

Blurb for Just a Kiss:

Charlotte Lightwood has one season to find a husband or she’ll be forced to marry her guardian’s loathsome cousin. With no title or dowry, she doesn’t have much hope of making a good match. Sebastian Wilkinson, the Earl of Marley, has been the most eligible bachelor on the marriage mart for more years than he cares to count and is very aware of his duty to marry a woman who will add to the wealth and stature of his title. Sebastian makes Charlotte an offer she can’t refuse: he will pretend to court her to help her attract more suitors in exchange for her advice about which ladies he should pursue. As they work together, their mutual attraction grows. When they realize they just might be perfect for one another, they must decide whether to bow to the dictates of society or follow their hearts.