Journal articles on the topic 'The Bridgertons series'

El cine y la televisión son medios de comunicación cuyo alcance permite contar historias, reflejar ideas, retratar sociedades y establecer debates en torno a diferentes temas como el multiculturalismo. A través del análisis de una serie como The Bridgertons (Shondaland, 2020), en la que la raza de sus actores no está asociada a la de los personajes que representan, queremos comprobar si este hecho supone un apoyo o un escollo al concepto de la invisibilidad de la raza como soporte del multiculturalismo. Para esto, realizamos un recorrido por el papel desarrollado por actores de razas minoritarias (entendiendo como tal aquellas diferentes a la blanca) en las producciones de Hollywood, valorando los estereotipos y las limitaciones a las que se han enfrentado y lo comparamos con el cambio que ha supuesto, en esta serie, el papel protagonista que representan estos actores. Los resultados demuestran que, a pesar de que participan actores de razas minoritarias en papeles que les hubiesen estado vetados hace años, esta posibilidad no se amplía a todas las razas, por lo que podemos concluir que el avance en la normalización del protagonismo de estos actores es solo parcial. A este hecho se suman las diferencias en la representación e identificación de ciertos actores con estereotipos culturales en ambas temporadas. ///// The main power of cinema and television as communication media is not just telling stories, but also reflecting ideas, picturing societies and establishing debates around different topics as the one we are dealing with in this study: multiculturalism. Through analysing a series like The Bridgertons (Shondaland, 2020), where their performers’ race is not linked to the characters they play, we want to test if this fact supports or challenges the concept of race’s invisibility as a support for multiculturalism. To do this, we overview the role that minority races’ (meaning those other than white) actors have played in Hollywood productions, considering stereotypes and limitations they have faced and compare this fact with this series’ changes in the protagonist roles that these actors play. Results prove that, despite minority races’ actors playing roles that would have been banned for them years ago, this option is not available for all races, so we can conclude that the improvement in these actors’ protagonism is just partial. Added to this the incongruencies and differences in the representation and identification of certain actors with cultural stereotypes in first and second seasons.

As a romantic drama fictionalizing the Regency marriage mart, Bridgerton () is a series which privileges women’s experiences. From the debutantes entering society, to their ‘ambitious mamas’, feminine narratives play out across the two seasons which have aired to date. Warranting particular attention are the figures of the widow and the ‘spinster’, whose representations this article explores. Bridgerton’s widows are presented as dynamic characters at the centre of their families and the ‘bon ton’, embodying the freedoms elite widows could enjoy. In contrast, the spinster is a topic of (negative) discussion but absent physically, despite the many elite Georgian women who never married. Ideals of independence are explored in some of Bridgerton’s young protagonists, but these are ultimately limited in the constraints of the drama’s romanticized Regency world.

This research discusses expressive speech acts identified in the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story series. The objective of this research are to find out the types of expressive speech acts and the most dominant types of expressive speech acts used in the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story series. The method used in this research was descriptive-qualitative. This research used theory from Searle and Vanderken (1985) to analyze the data. The data in this study were obtained from the utterances used by the character in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The results of this research showed that there are 109 data points found, namely 12 data of apology, 14 data of thanks, three data of condole, two data of condolences, 10 data of complaint, 12 data of lament, 15 data of protest, five data of deplore, six data of boast, 13 data of compliment, six data of praise, and 11 data of welcome (greet). With these data, the expressive speech act of protest is the most types of expressive speech act used in the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story series.

While the Bridgerton () series does not present itself as historically accurate, shows set in the past always lead to historical questions. In this article I argue for using fictional historical series as a tool in the classroom and to engage with the public. Bridgerton is a useful entrée into topics it emphasizes, such as the British aristocracy, fashion and design, courtship and marriage and the British colony of India, as well as those that it ignores: male monarchy, patriarchy, singleness and Atlantic slavery.

This research focused on finding out the use of casual style and intimate style from Eloise Bridgerton character’s utterances in “Bridgerton 2” TV series. The aim of this research is to get understanding how close and intimate Eloise's relationship is with her family and friends. Joos's (1967) theory of language style was used in this research. And then, the researchers also conducted the speech functions theory from Holmes & Wilson (2017). The researchers employed descriptive qualitative method as the method of the research which is proposed by Creswell & Creswell (2018). For collecting the data, the researchers used the method of observation and the techniques of non-participatory by Sudaryanto (2015). Furthermore, the method of referential identity and the technique of competence in equalizing by Sudaryanto (2015) were used for analyzing the data. As the result, the researchers found out 16 data for language style. The 16 data derived from 7 data of casual style and 9 data of intimate style. Moreover, 17 data for speech functions which derived into 9 data of expressive function, 5 data of directive function, 2 data of referential function, and 1 data of metalinguistic function.

This article aims to identify pragmatic equivalence in the translation of expressive speech acts. Descriptive and comparative methods were used in this study to analyze the data. Data collection is done by analyzing documents with the technique of observing and note-taking. The data is in the form of utterances containing expressive speech acts on the subtitles of the Bridgerton TV series in English and Indonesian. The data is obtained through accessing the Netflix platform with a personal account. Found 123 data of expressive speech acts on the Bridgerton TV series subtitle with the functions of criticizing, praising, sarcastic, complaining, apologizing, condolences and thanks. The result of the research shows that there are two types of pragmatic equivalence that the Bridgerton TV series subtitle translator has successfully achieved in translating expressive speech acts. The equivalences are the equivalence of expressive illocutionary force and the equivalence of the distance of relevance. Thus, the translator has been able to convey messages from the source text to the target text commensurately.

This special mini-issue on Netflix’s TV series, Bridgerton (2020–present), highlights the power of period drama television in its interrogation of historical and contemporary issues. The authors represent different disciplines, from literature and history to communications and media studies, and the formal and reflective essays that follow, combine our perspectives as both academics and fans of the period romance genre. Lastly, this issue describes how the ‘Bridgerton experience’ represents the multiple ways in which fans consume this series as it continues to shape our fantasies about the past.

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menjelaskan bahasa kiasan yang memiliki makna dalam Bridgerton Series Season 2 Episode Pilihan. Metode penelitian kualitatif digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Identifikasi dilakukan dengan meninjau dialog yang telah ditranskrip dan memeriksa bahasa kiasan dalam setiap dialog. Hasil dari penelitian ini terdapat delapan jenis bahasa kiasan, yaitu 21 ujaran (40,38%) untuk eufemisme, 9 ujaran (17,31%) untuk ironi, 7 ujaran (13,46%) untuk ironi, 7 ujaran (13,46%) untuk ironi, 7 ujaran (13,46%) untuk idiom, dan 7 ujaran (13,46%) untuk idiom. 46%) untuk idiom, 6 ujaran (11,54%) untuk hiperbola, 3 ujaran (5,77%) untuk litotes, 3 ujaran (5,77%) untuk metafora, 2 ujaran (3,85%) untuk simile, dan 1 ujaran (1,92%) untuk personifikasi. Berdasarkan penelitian tersebut, dapat disimpulkan bahwa jenis bahasa kiasan yang paling dominan adalah eufemisme, yaitu sebanyak 21 ujaran (40,38%).

This paper focuses on integrating multimodal communication into the English-as-a-foreign-language classroom to enhance the development of students’ multimodal communicative competence, multiliteracies, and 21st-century skills. To do so, I compiled a corpus of authentic materials from Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers in Julia Quinn’s novel The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000), her appearances as narrator in the Netflix series Bridgerton (2022), and some tweets posted by @Bridgerton. This corpus was used to plan and design a game-based teaching proposal. Finally, the paper offers a critical analysis and suggests how this proposal can feasibly contribute to fostering students’ multimodal communicative competence.

In this article, we look at how medium and genre shaped the Netflix adaptation of the first two Bridgerton novels and mediated the depictions of sex and desire to fit medium-specific expectations surrounding sexual content made for women. The showrunners for Netflix’s Bridgerton (2020–present) articulated a desire to depict sex from a female perspective, and with a ‘female gaze’, but the series is also instrumental in defining that perspective in ways that often differ from the approach of the novels’ female author. The contrast between the original and the adaptation reveals social norms and beliefs about content that excites women as well as stark differences in print and television norms. In attempting to use a female gaze, the adaptation also constructs the female gaze as distinctly separate from what is depicted in the novels and as limited to specific forms of ‘looking’. We first explore how this is implicated in choices that were made about the adaptation of violent or aggressive sex for the show. Bridgerton avoids depictions of aggression present in the novel and falls back on traditional depictions of appropriate feminine desire. Secondarily, we discuss depictions of sexual consent in the novel and the series with a particular emphasis on the implications colour-blind-casting has for the depiction of violations of consent.

The development of language affects speech cultures and modes of communication. Politer terms were created to avoid misunderstanding. This phenomenon is called euphemism. Employing euphemisms while discussing sensitive topics can help people express their ideas politely. This present study aims to determine the types of euphemism used in a famous television series entitled Bridgerton. The research was conducted only on the first episode of the series. This qualitative research employed content analysis as the research methodology. The research findings showed six types of euphemism identified, namely substitution, litotes, metonym, hyperbole, synecdoche, and colour-based metaphor for x-phemism. Nevertheless, this research was only analyzing the first episode of the series. Hence, the results might have differed in other episodes. Future researchers who are interested in the same topic may find other types of euphemisms that this research cannot cover.

La representación de la mujer en las narrativas de ficción ha evolucionado desde la primera ola del Feminismo. Dado que las ficciones no han roto todavía con los estereotipos de género, el presente trabajo plantea un análisis de los tres personajes femeninos de la serie de Netflix Bridgerton (Shondaland, 2020), a través de una metodología cualitativa que aplica la tabla de análisis de personajes femeninos propuesta por Mar Chicharro (2018, p. 95). Esta herramienta se basa en variables clave en la construcción de personajes desde el punto de vista narrativo, pero además incluye cuestiones descriptivas que ayudan a abordar su evolución, como es el arco de transformación. El objetivo es constatar el cambio del criterio representacional de la mujer en la ficción audiovisual, que pasa de objeto de deseo masculino a sujeto activo orientado a satisfacer la demanda del público femenino al que va dirigida. Finalmente se presentan los resultados, entre los que destacan la evolución del personaje principal, desde la figura de princesa de cuento de hadas a heroína de la acción, así como la multirepresentación de la figura femenina a través de tres generaciones, estrategia empleada con el objetivo de cubrir el conjunto de la audiencia femenina.

This article analyzes the first season of the Netflix series "Bridgerton," which was adapted from the first book in the "Bridgerton" series, "The Duke and I," written by Julia Quinn. It does so by drawing on a variety of viewpoints to offer fresh perspectives and promote intercultural conversations. The categories of "alteration," "omission," and "addition", adapted from interlingual translation, are used to discuss the changes that resulted from the translation of one sign into another. In this work of bibliographical origin, writers with experience in translation were chosen, and as the study includes a case study, books, interviews, and articles from online magazines served as sources, giving a more in-depth understanding of the object mentioned. The adaptation from a literary work to an audiovisual one, as suggested in this article, results in the source work being transformed, through alterations, additions and omissions. The additions and changes to the series opened a discussion about racial issues and, since this work involves qualitative research, it points out how these modifications affect both the media and society, highlighting the significance of having conversations about the matters above mentioned. Additionally, the racial representativeness shown in the series had wide acceptance and support from the general audience. All in all, this article develops topics such as: intersemiotic translation, ethnic-racial issues and analysis of the differences exposed in the series adapted from the book “The duke and I”.

This paper explores Lady Whistledown in the Netflix series, Bridgerton, as a modern Tiresias. The series tells a story of people, especially the socio-economic life of people living in the Regency Era. Throughout the entire series, the character: Lady Whistledown narrates people’s lives through her society paper that exposes the scandalous secrets of people living in the society. Drawing on insights from Joshep Cambell's notion of myths, the paper argues that Whistledown’s narrativization of people’s secrets embeds mythical prominence as it deals with the complexities of people and is indeed an inseparable unit from human life. Although the mythical character belongs to the primordial period, Tiresias stays in the mindset of people in an archetypal mode. This archetypal character holds such a power that audiences fail to eradicate it from their memories as they create different forms in their minds. Consequently, this ultimately presents new forms with novel components that serve to inform humans through the behaviors they present. Whistledown exhibiting the quality of Tiresias exposes the secrets of aristocrats through her writing in the society paper. The analysis shows that she empowers characters and audiences through the playfulness of words and projects herself as a modern Tierasis restoring the elements of myths in modern form and evoking the rage to interrogate the societal norms where representation is treated with disparity. Thus, Whistledown despite being a modern character personifies a mythical character: Tierasis, who resists the discrepancies existing in society.

This article offers an overview of the various kinds of nostalgia Netflix engages with. The focus here is self-produced originals and the way nostalgic elements are used to create different kinds of political outlooks within a transnational television environment. An underlying question is: in what ways can nostalgia be political within the transnational context of Netflix? The article explores this question while giving an overview of nostalgia’s use in different series, such as the culturally regressive politics of The Crown (2016‐present), the progressive social justice project of Sex Education (2019‐present) and the semiotic (if not political) project in series like Bridgerton (2020‐present).

Abstract The paper addresses the cultural paradigm of metamodernism as conceived by Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker (2010). Ontologically, metamodernism is perceived as oscillating between the modern and the postmodern, whereby the tools of postmodernism (such as irony, sarcasm, parataxis, deconstruction, scepticism and nihilism) are employed to counter (but not obliterate) modernist naivety, aspiration and enthusiasm. This oscillation results in what the above authors have termed “informed naivety,” a phrase denoting a state of wilful pragmatic idealism that allows for the imagining of impossible possibilities. Vermeulen and van den Akker’s two key observations about the shift from postmodernism to metamodernism in contemporary art are discussed in this paper, namely the (re)appearance of sensibilities corresponding to those of Romanticism and the (re)emergence of utopian desires, in an attempt at a metamodernist analysis of the Netflix adaptation of the Bridgerton book series, aimed primarily at elucidating its popularity as one of the most watched programmes of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Sanditonfans have used social media more than many other past Jane Austen adaptations to discuss the series and to share news developments about the series. This was partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing in-person marketing and fandom gatherings, but also due to some traditional Austen discussion platforms ignoring or banning pro-Sanditon discussions. White women from the UK and Europe dominated these online communities and set the tone for discussions of the plot as well as news about the series. BIPOC fans repeatedly clashed with white fans because the promises of an “inclusive” community were frequently dashed as soon as they disagreed with the predominant views of white fans. ITV’s decision to reverse the cancelation of the series did not diminish these clashes, in fact, they have continued to increase. The second season is expected to premiere in 2022 in a different media climate than the first season. Not only has the long delay in production for the second season resulted in recasting several roles, but Bridgerton has also far eclipsed Sanditon in international popularity. Bridgertonhas not only embraced contrasting and even anti-Austen aesthetics, but has also cast Black lead actors in their first season and South Asian lead actors in the upcoming Season 2. In light of these developments, BIPOC fans have pushed for Sanditonto expand Crystal Clarke’s role as Georgiana and diversify the cast and crew. The white fans who are interested in maintaining Sanditon as the anti-Bridgerton are pushing back in more subtle but still racist ways. Jane Austen scholars, academics, and professionals are facing a four-fold danger: the undermining of existing DEIA efforts within traditional Austen spaces by white fans with no interest in doing this work; the risk of alienating the next generation of Austen professionals by ignoring social media as a platform for Austen and Austen-adjacent discussions; the exclusion of BIPOC Austen fans from online and traditional spaces; and the inability to influence or participate in discussions of pop culture adaptations of Austen works.

This paper is an attempt to analyse the implicit and explicit rendering of cultural diplomacy in the popular Netflix series Bridgerton. This series is written by Chris Van Dusen and two seasons of the show titled Bridgeton have been premiered, the latest release of the series is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The television series is an adaptation of the Bridgerton novel series written by Julia Quinn and is produced under Shondaland productions. In this paper, the second season of the series is taken into consideration, in which the representation of Indian culture and its portrayal during the Regency period in England is intricately analysed. Cultural Diplomacy refers to the idea of the exchange of culture, art, language so on between nations that can result in diplomatic relations between countries. The series re-tells the history of the British Empire during the Regency period. The recurrent themes in the series are love and courtship. This paper analyses Cultural diplomacy as well as the neo-colonialist tendencies demonstrated through the series. Cultural diplomacy can be achieved through cinema and various film studies have proven its effect on the people. The cinema also serves as a medium of capitalism in disguise of art. This paper looks into the nature of relation existing between the former colonizer and its former colony. Also, to know about Capitalism as a form of Neo-colonialism, and to understand its part in Cultural Diplomacy. This research paper tries to understand the Bridgerton series as part of Culture and Capitalism.

This article aims to explain, with an example, how historical dramas, under the scope of culture industry, rewrite history on the screen through distorting it. For this purpose, in the first chapter, it is defined who the subject that interprets and recreates the past is. Then, in the second chapter, a Netflix series, Bridgerton (2020) is taken as a recent example in connection with the previous chapter to reveal the instrumental historiography at the back of the production. Thus, it becomes possible to enlighten the intention and the motivation of such a historiography along with the mechanism that tries to make individuals believe fiction rather than facts. In conclusion, an evaluation is given on the example while especially focusing on the consequences of the instrumental historiography that the series has.

This article aims to explain, with an example, how historical dramas, under the scope of culture industry, rewrite history on the screen through distorting it. For this purpose, in the first chapter, it is defined who the subject that interprets and recreates the past is. Then, in the second chapter, a Netflix series, Bridgerton (2020) is taken as a recent example in connection with the previous chapter to reveal the instrumental historiography at the back of the production. Thus, it becomes possible to enlighten the intention and the motivation of such a historiography along with the mechanism that tries to make individuals believe fiction rather than facts. In conclusion, an evaluation is given on the example while especially focusing on the consequences of the instrumental historiography that the series has.

Metaphors are used to understand the basic function of a term through another term, where there are some similarities or correlations between the two terms. Figurative language including metaphors is commonly used in dialogue, narrative text, and even in movie and television dialogue, where the dialogue can become more sparkling by the use of metaphors. The goal of this study was to examine Lady Whistledown’s metaphorical expressions in the Bridgerton television series and to explain the meanings of the metaphors. This was a qualitative study and the data were analyzed using Beekman and Callow’s metaphor theory. Full metaphor and abbreviated metaphor were the types of metaphor discovered by the researchers. The results of this study showed that abbreviated metaphor type 3 was the most frequently used. The meaning of each metaphor can be interpreted through the existing context. The findings of this study will be valuable to scholars who examine metaphors and metaphorical expressions. Keywords: metaphor, abbreviated metaphor, meaning, Bridgerton

Since its release, the Netflix show, Bridgerton, has been a hit series among its mass audiences as it harnesses an average of 103,550,000 views per season and currently holds fourth place in Netflix’s most popular English-language series (Tudum, 2024). The show has gained immense popularity not only because of its captivating plotlines but also because of the diverse cast of characters placed within the Regency Era. From this, it is critical to dissect and understand how race is represented within the show to discern the discourses being perpetuated to its viewers. Throughout this essay, I will employ Stuart Hall’s theory of representation and the politics of signification to unpack the racial representation within the Netflix show, Bridgerton, and how it reproduces colour-blind casting, interracial relationships, and dark versus light symbolism to perpetuate post-racial and Orientalist discourses. This analysis explores how colour-blind casting sustains post-racial discourses in the disguise of escapist media, which strips the Other of their lived experience. Moreover, it highlights how the depiction of interracial relationships within the show contributes to both post-racial and Orientalist discourses by placing the Occident over the Orient, and disregarding the prejudice often faced by interracial couples during that period. It further reveals how dark versus light symbolism is embedded throughout the interactions between multiple characters, which elicits the disruption of the white imaginary by Black individuals. As the show progresses and continues to release seasons that reach such large audiences, it is crucial to analyze what discourses surrounding race are being perpetuated and its potential impact on reinforcing stereotypes and misrepresenting marginalized communities.

Abstract A hybridization of two recent innovations in music theory—a focus on the progression of two triads as a unitary analytical object, and a component-wise formation of a set of equivalence classes—brings together under one conceptual and labeling system eight different approaches to the classification of harmonic progression. A holistic adoption of these eight approaches, each already preexisting within music scholarship in some partial or complete form, affords precise and gradated statements regarding the styles, associative meanings, and hermeneutics of music for recent multimedia. To that end, this article pays particular attention to progressions of like-moded triads a major third apart, as demonstrated through analyses of music for the television series Bridgerton and the movie Ex Machina.

Introduction Many people’s knowledge of history is gleaned through popular culture. As a result there is likely a blurring of history with myth. This is one of the criticisms of historical romance novels, which blur historical details with fictional representations. As a result of this the genre is often dismissed from serious academic scholarship. The other reason for its disregard may be that it is largely seen as women’s fiction. As ‘women’s fiction’ it is largely relegated to that of ‘low culture’ and considered to have little literary value. Yet the romance genre remains popular and lucrative. Research by the Romance Writers of America in 2016 found that the genre represents 23% of the US fiction market and generates in excess of US$1 billion per year (Romance Writers of America). Since the onset of COVID-19, sales of romance novels in the US have soared, increasing by 17% between January and May 2020. The most popular genre was the historical romance genre. In total during that period, 16.2 million romance e-books were purchased by consumers (NPD). Yet despite its popularity, romance fiction remains stuck in the pulp fiction bubble. This article draws upon an international survey conducted in June 2020 by the authors. The study aimed to understand how readers of historical romance novels (n=813) engage with historical representations in popular culture, and how they navigate issues of authenticity. Consuming History through Popular Culture: “Historical Romance Novels Bring History to Life” Popular culture presents a tangible way in which audiences can engage with history and historical practices. “The spaces scholars have no idea about – the gaps between verifiable fact – are the territory for the writer of fictional history” (de Groot 217). Historical romance writer Georgette Heyer, for example, was influenced by her father’s conviction that “the historical novel was a worthy medium for learning about the past” (Kloester 102), and readers of historical romance often echo this view. One participant in this study considered the genre a way to “learn about history, the mores and customs, the food and clothing of that particular era … and how it contrasts to modern times”. For another participant, “most historical romances are set in countries other than my own. I like learning about these other countries and cultures”. The historical romance genre, in some instances, was not the reason for reading the novel: it was the historical setting. The romance itself was often incidental: “I am more interested in the history than the romance, but if the romance is done well … [then] the tensions of the romance illustrate and highlight historical divisions”. While a focus on history rather than romance, it posits that authors are including historically accurate details, and this is recognised by readers of the genre. In fact, one contributor to the survey argued that as a member of a writers’ group they were aware of that the “majority of the writers of that genre were voracious researchers, so much so that writers of other genres (male western writers for one) were going to them for information”. While fiction provides entertainment and relaxation, reading historical romance provides an avenue for accessing history without engaging it in a scholarly environment. Participants offered examples of this, saying “I like learning about the past and novels are an easy and relaxing way to do it” and “I enjoy historical facts but don’t necessarily need to read huge historical texts about Elizabeth Woodville when I can read The White Queen.” Social and political aspects of an era were gleaned from historical romance novels that may be less evident in historical texts. For one respondent, “I enjoy the description of the attire … behaviours … the social strata, politics, behaviours toward women and women who were ahead of their time”. Yet at the same time, historical fiction provides a way for readers to learn about historical events and places that spurred them to access more factual historical sources: “when I read a novel that involves actual historic happenings, it drives me to learn if the author is representing them correctly and to learn more about the topics”. For another, the historical romance “makes me want to do some more research”. Hence, historical fiction can provide new ways of seeing the past: “I enjoy seeing the similarities between people of the past and present. Hist[orical] Fic[tion] brings us hope that we can learn and survive our present.” A consciousness of how ancestors “survived and thrived” was evident among many participants. For one, history is best learned through the eyes of the people who lived through the era. School doesn’t teach history in a way that I can grasp, but putting myself into the shoes of the ordinary people who experienced, I have a better understanding of the time. Being able to access different perspectives on history and historical events and make an emotional connection with the past allowed readers to better understand the lived experiences of those from the past. This didn’t mean that readers were ignoring the fictional nature of the genre; rather, readers were clearly aware that the author was often taking liberties with history in order to advance the plot. Yet they still enjoyed the “glimpses of history that is included in the story”, adding that the “fictional details makes the history come alive”. The Past Represents a Different Society For some, historical romances presented a different society, and in some ways a nostalgia for the past. This from one participant: I like the attention to eloquence, to good speech, to manners, to responsibility toward each other, to close personal relationships, to value for education and history, to an older, more leisurely, more thoughtful way of life. A similar view was offered by another participant: “I like the language. I like the slowness, the courtship. I like the olden time social rules of honour and respect. I like worlds in which things like sword fights might occur”. For these respondents, there is a nostalgia where things were better then than now (Davis 18). Readers clearly identified with the different social and moral behaviours that they experienced in the novels they are reading, with one identifying more with the “historical morals, ethics, and way of life than I do modern ones”. Representations of a more respectful past were one aspect that appealed to readers: “people are civil to each other”, they are “generally kinder” and have a “more traditional moral code”. An aspect of escapism is also evident: “I enjoy leaving the present day for a while”. It is a past where readers find “time and manners [that are] now lost to us”. The genre reflects time that “seemed simpler” but “of course it helps if you are in the upper class”. Many historical romance novels are set within the social sphere of the elites of a society. And these readers’ views clearly indicate this: honestly, the characters are either wealthy or will be by the end, which releases from the day to day drudgeries and to the extent possible ensures an economic “happily ever after” as well as a romantic one … . I know the reality of even the elite wasn’t as lovely as portrayed in the books. But they are a charming and sometimes thrilling fantasy to escape inside … It is in the elite social setting that a view emerges in historical romance novels that “things are simpler and you don’t have today’s social issues to deal with”. No one period of history appears to reflect this narrative; rather, it is a theme across historical periods. The intrigue is in how the storyline develops to cope with social mores. “I enjoy reading about characters who wind their way around rules and the obstacles of their society … . Nothing in a historical romance can be fixed with a quick phone call”. The historical setting is actually an advantage because history places constrictions upon a plot: “no mobile phones, no internet, no fast cars. Many a plot would be over before it began if the hero and heroine had a phone”. Hence history and social mores “limit the access of characters and allow for interesting situations”. Yet another perspective is how readers draw parallels to the historic pasts they read about: “I love being swept away into a different era and being able to see how relevant some social issues are today”. There are however aspects that readers are less enamoured with, namely the lack of sex. While wholesome, particularly in the case of Christian authors, other characters are heroines who are virgins until after marriage, but even then may be virgins for “months or years after the wedding”. Similarly, “I deplore the class system and hate the inequalities of the past, yet I love stories where dukes and earls behave astonishingly well and marry interesting women and where all the nastiness is overcome”. The Problem with Authenticity The results of the international historical romance survey that forms the basis of this research indicate that most readers and writers alike were concerned with authenticity. Writers of historical romance novels often go to great lengths to ensure that their stories are imbued with historically accurate details. For readers, this “brings the characters and locales to life”. For readers, “characters can be fictional, but major events and ways of living should be authentic … dress, diet, dances, customs, historic characters”. Portraying historical accuracy is appreciated by readers: “I appreciate the time and effort the author takes to research subjects and people from a particular time period to make their work seem more authentic and believable”. Georgette Heyer, whose works were produced between 1921 and 1974, is considered as the doyenne of regency romance novels (Thurston 37), with a reputation for exacting historical research (Kloester 209). Heyer’s sway is such that 88 (10.8%) of the respondents to the romance survey cited her when asked who their favourite author is, with some also noting that she is a standard for other authors to aspire to. For one participant, I only read one writer of historical romance: Georgette Heyer. Why? Sublime writing skills, characterisation, delicious Wodehousian humour and impeccable accurate and research into the Regency period. Despite this prevailing view, “Heyer’s Regency is a selective one, and much of the broader history of the period is excluded from it” (Kloester 210). Heyer’s approach to history is coloured by the various approaches and developments to historiography that occurred throughout the period in which she was writing (Kloester 103). There is little evidence that she approached her sources with a critical eye and it appears that she often accepted her sources as historical fact (Kloester 112). Heyer’s works are devoid of information as to what is based in history and what was drawn from her imagination (Kloester 110). Despite the omissions above, Heyer has a reputation for undertaking meticulous research for her novels. This, however, is problematic in itself, as Alexandra Stirling argues: “in trying to recreate Regency patterns of speech by applying her knowledge of historical colloquialism, she essentially created her own dialect” that has come to “dominate the modern genre” (Stirling). Heyer is also highly criticised for both her racism (particularly anti-Semitism), which is reflected in her characterisation of Regency London as a society of “extreme whiteness”, which served to erase “the reality of Regency London as a cosmopolitan city with people of every skin colour and origin, including among the upper classes” (Duvezin-Caubet 249). Thus Heyer’s Regency London is arguably a fantasy world that has little grounding in truth, despite her passion for historical research. Historical romance author Felicia Grossman argues that this paradox occurs as “mixed in with [Heyer’s] research is a lot of pure fiction done to fit her personal political views” (Grossman), where she deliberately ignores historical facts that do not suit her narrative, such as the sociological implications of the slave trade and the very public debate about it that occurred during the regency. The legacy of these omissions can be found in contemporary romances set in that period. By focussing on, and intensifying, a narrow selection of historical facts, “the authentic is simultaneously inauthentic” (Hackett 38). For one participant, “I don’t really put much stock into “historical accuracy” as a concept, when I read a historical romance, I read it almost in the way that one would read a genre fantasy novel, where each book has its own rules and conventions”. Diversifying the Bubble The intertwining of history and narrative posits how readers separate fact from fiction. Historical romance novels have often been accused by both readers and critics of providing a skewed view on the past. In October 2019 the All about Romance blog asked its readers: “Does Historical Romance have a quality problem?”, leading to a strong debate with many contributors noting how limited the genre had developed, with the lack of diversity being a particular strain of discussion. Just a few weeks later, the peak industry body, the Romance Writers Association of America, became embroiled in a racism controversy. Cultural products such as romance novels are products of a wider white heteronormative paradigm which has been increasingly challenged by movements such as the LGBTQI+, Me Too, and Black Lives Matter, which have sought to address the evident racial imbalance. The lack of racial representation and racial equality in historical novels also provides an opportunity to consider contemporary ideals. Historical romance novels for one participant provided a lens through which to understand the “challenges for women and queers”. Being a genre that is dominated by both female writers and readers (the Romance Writers Association claims that 82% of readers are female), it is perhaps no surprise that many respondents were concerned with female issues. For one reader, the genre provides a way to “appreciate the freedom that women have today”. Yet it remains that the genre is fictional, allowing readers to fantasise about different social and racial circumstances: “I love the modern take on historical novels with fearless heroines living lives (they maybe couldn’t have) in a time period that intrigues me”. Including strong women and people of colour in the genre means those once excluded or marginalised are centralised, suggesting historical romance novels provide a way of fictionally going some way to re-addressing gender and racial imbalances. Coupled with romance’s guarantee of a happy ending, the reader is assured that the heroine has a positive outcome, and can “have it all”, surely a mantra that should appeal to feminists. “Historical romance offers not just escape, but a journey – emotional, physical or character change”; in this view, readers positively respond to a narrative in which plots engage with both the positive and negative sides of history. One participant put it this way: “I love history especially African American history. Even though our history is painful it is still ours and we loved just like we suffered”. Expanding the Bubble Bridgerton (2020–), the popular Netflix show based upon Julia Quinn’s bestselling historical romance series, challenges the whitewashing of history by presenting an alternative history. Choosing a colour-blind cast and an alternate reality where racism was dispelled when the King marries a woman of colour and bestowed honours on citizens of all colours, Bridgerton’s depiction of race has generally been met with positive reviews. The author of the series of books that Bridgerton is adapted from addressed this point: previously, I’ve gotten dinged by the historical accuracy police. So in some ways, I was fearful – if you do that, are you denying real things that happened? But you know what? This is already romantic fantasy, and I think it’s more important to show that as many people as possible deserve this type of happiness and dignity. So I think they made the absolutely right choice, bringing in all this inclusivity (Quinn cited in Flood). Despite the critics, and there have been some, Netflix claims that the show has placed “number one in 83 countries including the US, UK, Brazil, France, India and South Africa”, which they credited partly to audiences who “want to see themselves reflected on the screen” (Howe). There is no claim to accuracy, as Howe argues that the show’s “Regency reimagined isn’t meant to be history. It’s designed to be more lavish, sexier and funnier than the standard period drama”. As with the readers surveyed above, this is a knowing audience who are willing to embrace an alternate vision of the past. Yet there are aspects which need to remain, such as costume, class structure, technology, which serve to signify the past. As one participant remarked, “I love history. I love reading what is essentially a fantasy-realism setting. I read for escapism and it’s certainly that”. “The Dance of History and Fiction” What is evident in this discussion is what Griffiths calls the “dance of history and fiction”, where “history and fiction … are a tag team, sometimes taking turns, sometimes working in tandem, to deepen our understanding and extend our imagination” (Griffiths). He reminds us that “historians and novelists do not constitute inviolable, impermeable categories of writers. Some historians are also novelists and many novelists are also historians. Historians write fiction and novelists write history”. More so, “history doesn’t own truth, and fiction doesn’t own imagination”. Amongst other analysis of the intersections and juxtaposition of history and fiction, Griffiths provides one poignant discussion, that of Kate Grenville’s novel The Secret River (2006). According to the author's own Website, The Secret River caused controversy when it first appeared, and become a pawn in the “history wars” that continues to this day. How should a nation tell its foundation story, when that story involves the dispossession of other people? Is there a path between the “black armband” and the “white blindfold” versions of a history like ours? In response to the controversy Grenville made an interesting if confusing argument that she does not make a distinction between “story-telling history” and “the discipline of History”, and between “writing true stories” and “writing History” (Griffiths). The same may be said for romance novelists; however, it is in their pages that they are writing a history. The question is if it is an authentic history, and does that really matter? References Davis, Fred. Yearning for Yesterday: A Sociology of Nostalgia. Free Press, 1979. De Groot, Jerome. Consuming History Historians and Heritage in Contemporary Popular Culture. Florence Taylor and Francis, 2009. Duvezin-Caubet, Caroline. "Gaily Ever After: Neo-Victorian M/M Genre Romance for the Twenty-First Century." Neo-Victorian Studies 13.1 (2020). Flood, Alison. "Bridgerton Author Julia Quinn: 'I've Been Dinged by the Accuracy Police – but It's Fantasy!'." The Guardian 12 Jan. 2021. 15 Jan. 2021 <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/12/bridgerton-author-julia-quinn-accuracy-fantasy-feisty-rakish-artistocrats-jane-austen>. Griffiths, Tom. "The Intriguing Dance of History and Fiction." TEXT 28 (2015). Grossman, Felicia. "Guest Post: Georgette Heyer Was an Antisemite and Her Work Is Not Foundational Historical Romance." Romance Daily News 2021 (2020). <https://romancedailynews.medium.com/guest-post-georgette-heyer-was-an-antisemite-and-her-work-is-not-foundational-historical-romance-fc00bfc7c26>. Hackett, Lisa J. "Curves & a-Lines: Why Contemporary Women Choose to Wear Nostalgic 1950s Style Clothing." Sociology. Doctor of Philosophy, University of New England, 2020. 320. Howe, Jinny. "'Bridgerton': How a Bold Bet Turned into Our Biggest Series Ever." Netflix, 27 Jan. 2021. <https://about.netflix.com/en/news/bridgerton-biggest-series-ever>. Kloester, Jennifer V. "Georgette Heyer: Writing the Regency: History in Fiction from Regency Buck to Lady of Quality 1935-1972." 2004. NPD. "Covid-19 Lockdown Gives Romance a Lift, the NPD Group Says." NPD Group, 2020. 2 Feb. 2021 <https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/2020/covid-19-lockdown-gives-romance-a-lift--the-npd-group-says/>. Romance Writers of America. "About the Romance Genre." 2016. 2 Feb. 2021 <https://www.rwa.org/Online/Romance_Genre/About_Romance_Genre.aspx>. Stirling, Alexandra. "Love in the Ton: Georgette Heyer's Legacy in Regency Romance World-Building." Nursing Clio. Ed. Jacqueline Antonovich. 13 Feb. 2020. <https://nursingclio.org/2020/02/13/love-in-the-ton-georgette-heyers-legacy-in-regency-romance-world-building/>. Thurston, Carol. The Romance Revolution : Erotic Novels for Women and the Quest for a New Sexual Identity. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987.