In historical romance writing, the genres tend to be divided
in eras. What I find most interesting is that many of those eras from the birth
of the United States of American to before World War One (the Great War) are
based on what was happening in Great Britain, and in a lesser part, Europe as a
whole. There is a reason for this. In spite of the American Revolutionary War
(a lesser genre that includes Colonial America) and that unpleasantness between
the United States and England between 1812-1814, the monarchy and nobility of
England still strongly influenced the legal system, attitudes, fashions and culture
of American society. Canada, still part of the Commonwealth, was more closely
tied to England that it is now. Many United States citizens had ancestors or even
living family in England. Frequent trade and travel occurred between the two
nations.
Let’s look at some of these Great Britain-inspired romance genres:
Regency
Era Genre:
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| George IV while Regent |
The Regency
in the United Kingdom took
place from 1811 to 1820 when King George
III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, became his proxy and ruled as Prince Regent. The Regency
era sometimes refers to a longer
period from 1795 (about the time the United States was getting its act together
and the founders wrote the current constitution) to 1837 which included the
latter part of the reign of George III and the reigns of his sons George IV, as
Prince Regent and King, and William
IV. It was characterized by distinctive trends in British architecture,
literature, fashions, politics, and culture, notably a more divided society
fraught with excess and decadence among the small top elite and poverty, squalor
and lack of opportunity among the masses at the bottom. This is also the time
of the Napoleonic wars.
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| The Duchess of Richmond's society ball before the Battle of Waterloo |
If you would enjoy
learning more about the fashions and trends of this era, please click HERE.
Victorian Era Genre:
The era of Queen Victoria started about 1837 and lasted
until her death in 1901. Her tastes greatly influenced society both in Great
Britain and in the Americas.
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| 1816 Princess Charlotte's Wedding Gown |
As far as fashion goes, her influence started with her
wedding dress. Before Victoria wedding dresses fir the royalty were usually made
of cloth of silver. For those who did not enjoy the abundance and excesses of
the nobility, wedding dresses were usually of any color the bride enjoyed, with
yellow being a favorite. Many chose darker colors for the dress that, after the
wedding, would become their best dress. However, the wedding of Queen Victoria started
a new trend when instead of the traditional royal silver bridal gown, she chose
a simple white wedding gown made of white satin, trimmed with Honiton lace,
with Honiton long veil and a wreath of orange blossoms to represent purity. It
was then that white became the dominant, traditional choice, symbolizing purity
and maidenhood.
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| Queen Victoria in her white wedding dress |
Another fashion trend that can be attributed to Queen
Victoria is the popularity of plaid in women’s clothing during this era.
The era was generally characterized mostly by peace and
prosperity in England. There were no great wars. Britain reached the zenith of
its economic, political, diplomatic and cultural power. The Victorian era is
famous for the Victorian standards of personal morality. Historians generally
agree that the middle classes held high personal moral standards, but have
debated whether the working classes followed suit. The situation for the lower
classes, although still not good, had improved somewhat from what had existed
during the Regency period, although child labor became a big issue in Great
Britain. The era saw Industrial Revolution and the development of the Railroad
on both sides of the Atlantic.
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1877 London
|
Edwardian
Era Genre:
The Edwardian
era in Great Britain is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910, and is sometimes extended
beyond Edward's death to include the four years leading up to World War I. This era was a transitional period from the horse-and-carriage
way of life to modern times leading up to World War I. A break from the
staid attitudes of the Victorian era led to experimentation in culture,
literature, and theater. The development of more sophisticated machines,
technology and industrialization led to a faster pace of life. Women’s
suffrage began. Various labor movements greatly influenced the political
landscape. Moral standards, while they were still important, became
looser than they were in Victorian times.
You
might enjoy reading more about the Edwardian era by clicking HERE.
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Edwardian era shooting party
|
Western – The All-American Genre:
The
aforementioned eras, which all became well established genres, especially in
romance, originated in Great Britain. These eras influenced the culture found on the American
continent to a greater or lesser degree, depending on whether people lived in
the eastern half of the continent or west of the Mississippi/Great Lakes region.
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| 1840 Territorial Map - United States |
But, there is one
genre that it totally all-American: Western.
As in, those who traveled and lived west of the Mississippi River or Great Lakes. The genre
includes among others cowboys, settlers, ranchers, Native Americans, soldiers
fighting in the Indian wars, miners, prospectors, and any number of pioneers
traveling west to develop the great open regions of the plains, the Rocky
Mountains and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This movement involved the
entire North American continent, all the way from the western movement in
Canada, the border dispute between the United States and Canada in the general
territory of British Columbia and Washington/Oregon down to the Mexican-American war and Mexico, a haven for
Western desperadoes escaping the law in the West.
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| Mormon pioneers |
Another
American genre which only covers about five years is the American Civil War genre. For romance novel purposes, it is often
lumped into the Western category although this war mostly took place east of
the Mississippi. Ways the Civil War did influence the Western experience include
the following: 1) many men, often from the South, disgruntled over the Civil
War moved west during the war years, often taking up mining or ranching. 2)
After the Civil War and its disruptions to commerce, its destruction of land
and the defeat of the South, many men chose to emigrate to the West to start
over.
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| Civil War Patriots |
In
the western movement, women became more valued. They often were seen more as an
asset and less of an expensive burden than often perceived back East. Wise pioneer
men often made it a point to marry before traveling west. Women became so
prized in the gold fields of California that men would walk miles just to look
at one. Western states such as Wyoming, Kansas and Utah led the nation in granting
suffrage and other rights to women in order to attract women into moving west.
Men living in the west where there were not as many available women to choose
from and who were ready to start a family often sent for mail-order brides to
fill the need.
Women
who moved west found they were often called on to do the work associated with
men. For some, it was a preferred choice, such as those women who chose to come
west to homestead. This affected their attitudes about everyday dress leading
to more practical solutions in clothing. You might enjoy reading more about
cowgirl fashions by clicking HERE.
The
above reason may explain why many of our monthly contributors write Westerns—stories
that take place in the all-American genre. For
another example of a strong woman living in the West, click HERE.
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| Sadie Austin wore a split skirt topped by a short overskirt when riding her father's range |
Zina
Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. You might enjoy reading the first book in my Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine.
Please
visit and follow the Zina Abbott’s Amazon Author Page by clicking HERE.
Zina Abbott Author
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Romance genres WESTERNS: THE ALL-AMERICAN GENRE @ZinaAbbott
