| The Regency debutante comes in very handy for | | | | favored young ladies among the English rich. |
| authors like me, even though she is as | | | | Most of the time, they, too, had money and |
| individual as the writers who create her. She | | | | therefore were supremely 'qualified' to join |
| can appear in just about all shapes and | | | | the "marriage mart." But they might also be |
| sizes--within a framework of having the | | | | hiding a bankruptcy-it wasn't always easy to |
| ability to attract "Mr. Right," of course. | | | | discover the truth in those days of slow |
| (In other words, she can be anything as long | | | | travel and communication (by today's |
| as it's attractive enough for the purposes of | | | | standards). |
| a romance.) | | | | |
| | | | Likewise, any country miss and her mama might |
| Half the fun of a Regency (or any romance) is | | | | aspire to a London "season" and there was |
| being able to understand and relate to the | | | | always the chance of making an astounding |
| heroine; therefore, she must be wonderful in | | | | success. (You see how it easily makes for the |
| some ways and definitely lacking in others; | | | | stuff of romance novels?) |
| she must be attractive but not so perfect | | | | |
| that you can't believe in her; she must | | | | So the Regency Debutante was any young lady |
| strike a chord in every female reader who | | | | of gentle birth making her "come out" into |
| picks up your book, and any writer can create | | | | the wider society of adults of her community; |
| such a character simply by making her human. | | | | If she were wealthy or could gather enough |
| That is the one thing we ALL have in common, | | | | financial backing, (or had good connections) |
| our humanity, with all its foibles and | | | | she could make that debut into London or Bath |
| faults. | | | | society, circles where the possibility of |
| | | | making a good match (marriage) were greater. |
| But what is a Regency debutante? How is she | | | | |
| different from other fictional heroines? | | | | Not all Regency novels use debutantes as |
| | | | their heroines, but to understand what "the |
| A dictionary will tell you that a debutante | | | | season" was about, one must recognize this |
| is "a young woman making a formal debut into | | | | formal female creature! She often was not in |
| society." In our case, it is Regency society, | | | | for fun and games, despite the whirl of |
| which is the other half of the fun of a | | | | social entertainments on her schedule, but if |
| Regency novel. No other time period was quite | | | | she happened to be pretty, and even more |
| like the Regency; Jane Austen taught us how | | | | important, wealthy, then upper class society |
| to poke gentle fun at it while also caring | | | | was sure to welcome her in. |
| about those who were part of it; and | | | | |
| Georgette Heyer showed us ways to really turn | | | | Another aspect that makes Regencies so |
| up the volume (of fun), concocting plots full | | | | enjoyable is the clothing needed for the |
| of characters plucked from many layers of | | | | debutante's season. The quantity AND the |
| that society. | | | | quality--it all counted, and it all makes for |
| | | | fun reading. That, along with descriptions of |
| The interesting thing about the debutante of | | | | social customs and manners, makes delving |
| the Regency, is that she could be most | | | | into the era an experience you will likely |
| anyone, from anywhere. Families came from | | | | want to do again and again. |
| abroad for the 'season' to debut their | | | | |