Welcome to the Early 19th Century!

All right, all you aspiring authors out there!

Good morning (or afternoon or evening, whichever). For those of you who like to read historical fiction, good for you! For those of you who want to write historical fiction, go read some. Best way to get a grasp on what the genre's all about. And of course there are a million different times a historical novel can cover, from the prehistoric era (as in such books as The Clan of the Cave Bear and The People of the Raven) through Regency and Victorian England—always a fun era to read about—to World War II. Most things newer than that aren't considered "historical," per se. Not old enough, I guess.

But this blog entry is specifically about two fun eras in English/American history that I personally love to read about: Regency England and Victorian England and America. For good classical examples of what those are see Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur C. Doyle.

Now there are certain rules about writing in these time periods that every author should know; vocabulary every author should familiarize his- or herself with. For example, in Regency England (which describes books set as early as 1785 to as late as 1825) men didn’t play pool, they played billiards. Different name, different rules. In Victorian England and America (late 1800s to the 19-teens), love letters between courting couples didn’t end with "love So-and-So," but with something slightly more platonic, such as "your devoted friend, Such-and-Such."

Why do I mention this? I read a lot of historical fiction. I especially love Pride and Prejudice sequels, though I also like entirely original historical stuff for its own sake. And one of the things that just drives me crazy is when I see something anachronistic—something that doesn’t fit in with the time-period. Now some things are understandable, little detail-mistakes not everyone would catch (such as in James Cameron's Titanic; apparently Jack promises to take Rose to some American attraction that wasn't built until 1916, even though the Titanic sank in 1912). But certain things, like vocabulary, can make or break the suspension of disbelief in a novel.

Here's a list of Regency/Victorian vocabulary that will serve you in good stead:

— Billiards—the British version of pool

— Bluestocking—a girl/woman who enjoys education for its own sake and likes to read

— Dowager—a formal term for a widow, especially a widow from the aristocracy or landed gentry

— Dowry—the monetary settlement given to a woman (and thus her husband) by her father or guardian when she marries

— Foxed—drunk

— Landed gentry—someone wealthy who doesn’t possess an aristocratic title like "duke" or "earl" but owns their own estate; popular examples are Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightly from Jane Austen's Emma, or Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre

— Mater—the Latin word for mother, often used by British high society as a term of affection (or sarcastic disdain) for a parent in conversation

— Old maid—a young woman past the standard "marriageable age" (which is normally no later than twenty-five or twenty-six years old) who remains unspoken for

— Out—to say a young woman is "not yet out" means she hasn’t been officially presented to society as an eligible bachelorette. The age for this can range as young as sixteen and as old as nineteen, though rarely later

— Pater—the Latin word for father, often used by British high society as a term of affection (or sarcastic disdain) for a parent in conversation

— Regimentals—a common term for a British Army uniform

— Season—the height of the social life in London, where everybody goes to meet people, rub elbows with society's finest, and present sons and daughters in need of spouses

— Ton—British high society, which includes landed gentry as well as aristocrats

— Whist—a popular card game

There. Bet you guys didn’t know most of these. And these aren't the only terms you should bone up on, and my blog isn't the be-all, end-all of research. If you want to write a historical novel, seriously—do your research! There're all kinds of things to learn about the culture, the language, etiquette, etc. It's actually pretty fascinating.

- LA Knight