Exploring the Regency with Guest Blogger: Sara King

Jillian and Sara

I recently attended a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Westchester, Ohio where I met Sara King who works there part-time. I've talked her into visiting once in awhile and sharing some of her expertise in history. Sara attended Northern Kentucky University where she majored in Biology, History and Anthropology. She loves out door activities and camping including horseback riding, hiking and walking trails.  She's an animal lover and activist.(Sara's favorite animals are horses, cats and wolves. But says she loves almost all animals except for insects). Here's Sara.

As a history major I love to explore cultures and societies that came before our time.  My hope in writing as part of my friend Jillian Kent’s blog is that we can enlighten each other in the history and culture of the Regency Era of Great Britain.  My goal is to give you as a fellow reader an insight into aspects of the time period that Jillian may not write about, but aspects we both are passionate about.  To begin my first post for Jillian and to everyone one of her friends that read her blog, I wanted to start small and just give an introduction into the Regency Era.  As we progress through our time together and become friends my hope is to focus on specific topics for each post whether it be a place, a person, a landmark or a tradition.

As many of you know the Regency Era of British society was a time of cultural expansion and nourishment, one that flourished.  It was characterized for its distinctive architecture, literature, fashion and politics.  Unfortunately it was also a time of great concern for the middle class due to the rampant over indulgence of the aristocracy and rising poverty levels in the cities.  Despite the concerns, the Regency Era was a period of refinement and cultural achievement that would change the social structure of Great Britain for years to come.

The Prince Regent/Wikipedia site

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the Regency Era no matter if it’s from a historical standpoint or just a love of reading a historical novel, the first people that I think about are the Prince Regent, George IV and Jane Austen. One is well known for his overindulgence and lack of better judgment while the other showed a romantic side to British society through her writing.  The Prince Regent was a man who cared little for anything that did not benefit him in some way; however, he was one of the greatest patrons of the arts and architecture.  At the time, society saw it as overindulgence and the whimsy of royalty to refurbish and build lavish structures, but today, many are thankful for his over indulgence because he has given us the pleasure of seeing Brighton Pavilion and Carlton House over 200 years later.

As well, Jane Austen first published Pride and Prejudice in 1813.  Today her books are considered classic literature and give modern readers an insight into a society that was flourishing.  Through her we as readers can take a step back in time and relive the daily life and gossip of Regency Britain.

There have been many amazing discoveries of the Regency Era such as the adaptation of steam printing which increased the demand of books, pamphlets and newspapers.  Steam printing made it possible to print over 1,100 sheets and hour compared to the previous count of 200 sheets per hour.  This greatly increased the popularity of novels and gossip sheets that spread the rumors of the royal and aristocratic. Koenig's Steam Press was purchased by the Times of London in 1814.

Koenig's Steam Press http://www.designhistory.org

I hope you will join me in discovering the delights of the Regency Era.

Jill here again. Doesn't that machine remind you of something? I can't put my finger on it but I see two big eyes and robot like head. Maybe something from the movie Transformers?