Origins of the Regency Romance, Silver Fork Novels

[sartorias]

There were two things going on with silver fork novels: the unrepentant glorying in the wealth and exclusiveness of rank, and the stories of marriages. They were not always romantic by today's standards. Pelham, the granddaddy of them all (especially the 1828 edition, before Bulwer hyphenated his name and toned down his cheerfully impudent

Comments

[asakiyume]

What Austen novels do prostitutes get mentioned in? Is it more than a passing reference?

Tangential, but what you said in your last paragraph got me thinking about what makes things *hard*. The real constraints on women made their choices hard, and that can make for drama, pathos, complexity--an interesting novel, in other words. But it's not flamboyant. It's not usually exciting--at least, not in the way smugglers, spies, and vampires are. But it can have real depth and can really linger with you. This was brought to mind to me the other day when I was exclaiming over "The Long Black Veil." I was wanting, essentially, to change it into the equivalent of something with smugglers and spies--mainly because I wanted some heroism for the woman rather than the shame of letting her lover go to his death--but one of the commenters brought up the real-life pathos and depth of emotion (and realism) that goes with making the other choice.

I mean, I'd still like heroism for the woman in the song, but being reminded of the other thing made me appreciate the song more deeply. There's room for both, I know--regency romances with spies and vampires, but also ones that look at the reality of the society at the time.

...only with great conversation and raised eyebrows. I mean, I don't want to forget that they're romances, after all :-)

(Do let me know about the Austen novels with prostitutes, though.. I wandered off topic in this comment, but I'm curious.)

[sartorias]

I remember in specific Lizzy and Jane worrying about Lydia, that running away with Wickham would ruin her chances of marriage and she'd end up 'on the town' which was prostitution. There is more about it in S&S with the unfortunate that the Colonel protects, and I think there may be a slight reference in Mansfield, but I can't remember the exact place or instance. There may even have been a careless reference in Northanger, when Captain Tilney is dissing Isabella Thorpe. And Lady Susan is all about a high class lady on the town.

[asakiyume]

Okay, I thought maybe the worries over Lydia stretched to that, but I wasn't sure.

Lady Susan? (Is there a novel by that title, or is that a character in a novel?)

[sartorias]

This is Austen's naughty novel. It's early, and many Austenites don't know what to do with it, so they pretend it doesn't exist. It was never published during her time.

[asakiyume]

Cool! What did you think of it?

[sartorias]

It's obviously early--not only is it epistolary, as were most novels of the eighteenth century, but it depends on some of its more trite conventions . . . however her genius is emerging in how many of those conventions she makes fun of. She also varies the voices in the letters a la Richardson to an impressive degree. It's very short, and parts of it are quite wickedly funny. Lady Susan is so unrepentantly wicked--Austen understood intuitively that everyone is the hero of their own tale, which I think is one of the reasons she never creates a flat stereotype.

[asakiyume]

I'm going to read this! Thanks :-)

[asakiyume]

from pilgrimsoul

Adding my two cents worth on Lady Susan. It is a truly remarkable production that can transform one's views of Miss Austen, but mostly I grieve anew that she died so young with so many veins untapped.

[kateelliott]

[zeborahnz]

I love Lady Susan and keep trying to find a nice copy of it but everyone ignores it so the best I've got is a little paperback that gathers it along with the other bits and pieces that don't make it into the big 6.

[asakiyume]

I'm very much looking forward to it!