What is it about the historical romance that has attracted readers and writers? Are they pure escapism? Perhaps we can find clues by looking at some of the twentieth century roots of the genre.
We will discuss ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ by Baroness Orczy; ‘Scaramouche’ by Raphael Sabatini; ‘These Old Shades’ by Georgette Heyer and ‘The Happy Return’ by CS Forester over seven sessions. Will it be pure romp, or are they literary gems?
The first of our novels was published in 1905 and the last in 1937. These four were best sellers in their days, but they didn’t fade away after that, they’ve been passed through generations of readers. We will be travelling through time to think about when they were written as well as the periods they portray and what that means to us, today.
Georgette Heyer’s novel has a late Baroque setting, but the other three involve us in the French revolution. Is there a simple explanation for those setting choices? Prepare yourself for some adventures in reading.