welcome a wonderful writer, Lilly Gayle, to visit my blog and share with us some
of her insights into the very interesting Victorian Era!
Grandma who would have been born in the early 1900’s and the stories she told
me about their life in those days, I have to admit that I’m glad that my time
is here and now. I couldn’t imagine living without all the amenities we are
surrounded by today….
computer!!
historical romances are set in Regency England or they are Westerns, Civil War
novels, or Medieval romances. I love
all of these genres but I also love the Victorian Era.
TheVictorian Era encompasses the time of Queen Victoria’s reign from June 1837 until her death in January
1901. It was a time of peace,
prosperity, and refined sensibilities. During those years, Americans living in
larger cities, New England, and the Deep South, followed the fashion, fads, and
lifestyles popular in British cultural and so this time frame is also called
the Victorian Era in America.
social values, and the arts. It was also a time of moral values and sexual
restraint—a time when women began to question and later protest their roles as
nothing more than mothers, wives, and housekeepers. It was an era of reform and
enlightenment. It was also an era of economic, colonial, and industrial
expansion. It was an era of liberal
views shifting in the direction of political and industrial reform. And a time
when women protested for the right to vote.
It was a great era in which to set a historical manuscript.
theater, balls and soirees, freak show exhibits became popular during this
time. These “shows” boasted a variety of “freaks” from famous conjoined twins
Eng an Chang to Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man
popular but so were Dime and Gothic novels.
idealized law enforcement, outlaws, or both. Gothic novels were a genre of
literature that combined horror and romance. Since women were known to write
and publish Gothic novels using male pseudonyms, it has become a popular theme
in many romance novels set in both the Regency and Victorian Eras.
consumption—was the main cause of death in the latter 19th century. Because of
this dreaded disease, sanatoriums were created where sufferers were often sent
to recuperate or die. Most died. Before Luis Pasteur suggested germs as the
cause of disease and microscopes proved him right, most people believed bad
odors–called miasmas–caused sickness.
in the early years of the Victorian Era as sewage was dumped directly into the
streets. Luckily, the flushing toilet and advent of modern sewers came about
during the Victorian Era.
of discovery, when germs and cleanliness were recognized as contributing
factors in survival rates after surgery. Other than alcohol and opiates such as laudanum,
painkillers had not been invented. Chloroform was the only known anesthesia,
which didn’t come into effect until the middle of the 19th century.
It often caused paralysis or death, so many surgeries were carried out with no
anesthesia at all. Operations were painful
procedures that more closely resembled torture.
serial killers and advancements in detective work. In 1882, fingerprinting for identification was first used in New
Mexico. In 1883, author Samuel Clemmons aka Mark Twain used fingerprinting in
his book Life on the Mississippi to identify the killer. In
a later book, Puddin’ Head Wilson, there’s an entire courtroom scene using fingerprint
identification.
notoriety during the Victorian Era. In America, Lizzy Borden grabbed headlines.
So did a lesser known sadistic killer, the Chicago Butcher—Adolph Luetert.
Luetgert, Chicago’s main sausage manufacturer, was known for his
dalliances with other women. The rich entrepreneur had dozens of mistress, but
when his wife protested his infidelities, Luetgert stabbed her, boiled her, and
put her remains through the sausage grinder. Coincidentally, the electric chair
was also introduced during this time in history.
As photography became
more common place, so did a macabre interest in photographing the dead. For a
vast number of “Victorians” death photos were the only time a loved one was
photographed.
enough, my mother has a death photo of an ancestor, Herbert Newton, in her
collection of family photographs. She shared it with me and now, I’m sharing it
here
Swimming
became popular during this time period and the bathing suit became a noted
fashion. Although, Victorian swimwear was quite modest and those daring enough
to swim in the ocean did so by hanging on to a rope.
of the civilized world, this was a time of industrialism and creativity—a time
of inventions such as: the automobile, telephone, radio, toilet, camera, stamp,
train, vacuum cleaner, and sewing machine.
Steam was used to power factory machinery, ships and trains. And it has
since inspired a whole new genre of fiction, dubbed: Steam Punk.
Although I have yet
to pen a Steam Punk novel, I have two historical romances set in the Victorian
Era.
Here
are the Blurbs and buy links for both:
needs his name. He needs her money. But can a rich New York socialite and a
poor Irish immigrant find true love in the gilded age?
Betrayed
by her fiancé and heart sick over her father’s death, Clarissa Burdick is
further devastated when she learns she can’t inherit her father’s company—the
company she loves—until she’s twenty-five or married. And Clarissa is neither.
So she sets out to find a husband strong enough to protect her from her uncle’s
thugs, too uneducated to run the company himself, and poor enough to marry a
woman in name only. But Irish immigrant
Devin Flannery is smarter than he seems and more educated than Clarissa
expects. Her Wholesale Husband soon
proves a greater risk to her heart than her company.
Tarnished blurb:
his dead wife’s American cousin to save her from her uncle’s vengeful schemes,
the sea captain’s daughter with a taste for adventure sparks desires he thought
long dead.
Nicole Keller has always been headstrong and independent, but after a
failed business venture and a sinking ship take her father, her home, and her
childhood sweetheart, Nikki must support herself and her mother. But moving to
England and marrying Chadwick Masters, Earl of Gilchrest isn’t what she has in
mind. And falling in love with the mysterious earl could endanger both their
lives.
So,
now you know why I love the Victorian Era. What’s your favorite romance genre?
I’ll be adding your names to my newsletter list, so I hope you won’t mind getting a periodic letter from me telling of new releases and special news!
Thanks for having me on your blog Mimmi and for allowing me to share my love of the Victorian Era.
As a student of British Modern History and an aspiring writer I love the Victorian era. Not too keen on the romance novel though, although willing to have my mind changed. Great article.
Romance novels aren't everyone's cup of tea, but take out the sex scenes and most romance novels are still great books. I like to tell my husband, every story is better if a little romance is added. He loves the movie True Lies with Arnold Swartzeneger. He hates it when I tell him it's a romantic comedy/suspense. 🙂 If you take out the love story, it's just shooting and blowing stuff up.
Holy cow! That is a fascinating history lesson! The death photo creeps me out something fierce, though. Eck.
I agree. Everything is better with a splash of romance. You have to pluck some heartstrings along with blowing things up.
I'd have to say that I enjoy the Victorian era, but I prefer contemporary romances. I guess I can relate to the the modern-day heartache more. 🙂
Fascinating post, Lilly Gayle.
Great post, Lilly. I feel so smart now that I've had my daily dose of cool information. You are so right, a little or a lot of romance makes any story better.
Claire, I love a good modern-day romance too. Again, just throw in a splash of romance and I'm a horror fan too. Love Dean Koontz. He knows how to scare the crap out of you and tug at your heart strings. Vonnie, I love useless information, don't you.
Andris, you didn't like my mom's picture of cousin Irby? My mom corrected me. My dead ancestor was Irby Newton, not Herbert Newton. Poor Irby. He had a horrible name, he died young, and his family laid him out in the front yard like they were having a yard sale or something.
Hi Lilly! As you know, I'm a big fan of Wholesale Husband, and the era had a lot to do with it. I suspect, with the immense popularity of Downtown Abbey – that we will see many more books set in the Victorian era now.
As for me – plumbing has a lot to do with preference for eras. LOL.
I love the Victorian era! Most of my romance books are set during the American Civil War, but that war happened smack in the middle of the Victorian era. I also have a January release set just after the war.
And I really enjoyed reading 'Wholesale Husband'!
Awww. Thanks Lynne and Susan. I really have to find time to read more. I still haven't read Lynne's One For the Road yet. It's been sitting on my Nook for months. And now, it sounds like I'm going to want to check out your books, Susan. I love Civil War and post Civil war romances.
I also love the Victorian era and fondly remember writing a senior term paper on Anne, Queen of Scots!
I have read and reviewed Lilly's books and couldn't put the books down. My reviews of her books are on Amazon. What an entertaining writer she is! I also love reading her blog and posts on other's blogs, such as this one.
Thanks Mimi and Lilly!
Rebecca
rbooth43(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thank you!
saralogan1990@yahoo.com
Thanks for the giveaway, I would love to win her book.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com
This is a really awesome giveaway! I would love to win!
danasquare3@aol.com
Thank you!
childrensbook13 at aol dot com
Loved the stories and the pictures. Thanks for sharing them.
Lauren
Lmackesy @ gmail.com
Hi Lilly, I totally agree. There is a huge difference between romance and explicit novels. I love the books that let the reader "see" story, and the hint of romance is nicer than details.
Thank you,
Jan
janokane13@aol.com
Thanks everyone for stopping by. I wish you all luck in the drawing. Jan, I don't write erotic, but there are one or two explicit love scenes in my books. Although, I just can't bring myself to use any of the "C" words or the "D" word when writing a sex scene.
This sounds great thanks for the giveaway. bridget.howard@hotmail.com
Megan Real
Megan dot Real at Yahoo dot Com
Thankyou for the giveaway. Gale Nelson pgan427@yahoo.com
Thank you 🙂
tamarsweeps at gmail-dot.com
thanks for the giveaway : )
ame1184 at gmail dot com
Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
brokenheartedemo@hotmail.com
Great giveaway! I agree with Lilly- True Lies is a fantastic example of a romantic thriller:)
Thanks for the chance to win:)
bchild5 at aol dot com
I love historical romance, but almost all YA genres. Thanks for the giveaway!
tressa dot sherman at hotmail dot com
Thank you so much ladies for visiting and commenting on my blog and to Lilly for being such an interesting guest. I have put your names in a hat and the two picked out to win Lilly's books are Brendajean and Bridget. And rbooth43 has won my new release "His Devious Angel."
Take care…
Hugs Mimi
Looking forward to reading His Devious Angel!
Thanks, Mimi!
Rebecca
Congrats to the winners!