Jane Austen on Courtship in Regency England Pt.1: Coming Out, Presentation at Court, and The Rules

Part one of a two part series on Courtship and Marriage in Georgian England. Why women got married, and the trials and tribulations of getting to a proposal that produce so much fodder for Austen fan fiction and Regency romances like the Bridgerton novels. I’ll cover coming out into society, presentation at court, meeting eligible men, and the rules of courtship.

Dedicated to my uncle who died Sept. 6, 2021. He loved cats and to read Jane Austen.

00:00 Intro
01:11 Why get married in the Georgian Era?
04:23 Spinsterhood
07:54 Avoiding Scandal
11:04 Having children in Regency England
13:01 Family pressure to get married
16:52 Coming Out in Regency England
21:28 Presentation at Court in Regency England
26:14 Coming Out is expensive
27:39 The Rules of Courtship
37:15 Surprise proposals
37:53 What do you think?

Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Persuasion
Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe
Film and TV adaptations - which are your favorite?
Bridgerton on Netflix
Julia Quinn's Bridgerton Romance novels (covers)

Gener, S., and John Muckersy. M. Gener, Or, A Selection of Letters on Life and Manners. (1810)

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[sArnoldsdotter]

A vindication on the worth of Fanny Price 😁 That people can't see her strength because she's so quiet and retiring (hardly uncommon in someone who suffered neglect and abuse most of her life) annoys me no end, especially when they *do* acknowledge her abuse, but still can't make allowances for her. Very ableist.

[archervine]

In terms of cousin marriages, I have also heard it pointed out that, as interactions between cousins could be less formal, people might have felt more secure in their knowledge of their cousin’s character as compared to somebody they had met at a ball. Given how severe the implications of marrying were, and how badly it could go wrong, that’s not a small advantage.

[mittenista]

If I were a time traveler, I'd love to visit during the London just to eat popcorn and watch all the intrigues and scheming that go into landing a good match.

[ebleecker]

Slight correction, Willoughby doesn’t marry Marianne not because his Aunt wanted him to marry a rich woman, but because she found out that Willoughby seduced Colonel Brandon’s ward, Eliza, and that Eliza was pregnant with Willoughby’s child. The Aunt insisted Willoughby make amends to Eliza, but when he refused, she cut him off. Willoughby could have married Marianne, but he was penniless and in debt with no future prospects due to his being disinherited, and so he instead decided to find a rich woman to wed.

[Lady_dromeda]

I had a baby out of wedlock, kept her, still not married and live with the baby and her father….

Regency ladies would have a heart attack upon hearing that

[eec]

Id love it if you did a part two! Im glad to watcv a video explaining this stuff from someone who can explain it well

[LauraIngallsGunn]

I love that your uncle read Jane Austen. May your memories of him bring you comfort.
In thinking about all these Regency rules it made me think about my own courtship. There was a hugely popular book at the time (1997) titled "The Rules". It included such rules as Don't Talk to a Man First, Don't Ask Him to Dance, as well as Don’t Call Him. I can see a correlation between the two eras. Truth time. Tired of dating toads I gave The Rules a whirl. There must be some merit to it. My Mr. Darcy and I have now been together 24 years. :)

[linr]

Honestly I always put mr darcy's surprise proposal on his complete lack of taste or understanding for all this social nonsense. Dude realises he likes a girl and just goes to tell her because he's still in the "offended about the realisation" stage instead of trying to go through the process of courting. So like, falling into the opposite extreme?
Either way, that scene is still legendary.

[peach]

I'm thinking of trying to read Austen for the first time (never even seen a film adaptation somehow even though I'm 25) and I found this video very informative!! Thank you!!

[sarasalentine]

The Mayor of Casterbridge was adapted! It stars Ciaran Hinds who played Wentworth in the 95 Persuasion adaptation. I think I watched it on Amazon Prime.

[midnightblack]

Great video! I really appreciate the way you highlight examples from Jane Austen's works, Bridgerton, etc. to make the social realities and customs of the period more accessible. I'm eagerly awaiting part 2! :)

[lauranichols]

Emma was not the only Austen heroine who said she would marry only for love. Both Jane and Elizabeth Bennet also said so.

[rhombusne]

In terms of how proposals pop up in Austen novels, I wonder if some of it is more context of the time that we just don’t see. It’s like when I try to explain a twitter joke: if you’re not there, there’s so much context missing! And the women of her circles would know the whole rigmarole so well, you wouldn’t have to write about it for it to be read into…

[vbrown]

Such a great video. I really enjoyed how you used examples from Austen's text, Austen's own life, her contemporaries, and historical context. But most of all, I enjoyed your liberal use of clips from all the various Austen film adaptations and even some Bridgerton. And don't think I didn't catch your photo of Sylvestra Le Touzel as Fanny Price in Mansfield Park-1983, followed immediately by a photo of the same actress playing Mrs. Allen in Northanger Abbey-2007.

[everausten]

This was excellent! I love your sense of humour ✨💛✨

[glendodds]

It is of course true that it was not the norm for a man of Mr Darcy’s social standing to marry someone from a less exalted background but such marriages occurred more frequently than is sometimes realised. For example, in the second half of the 18th century Elizabeth Gunning, who came from an impoverished gentry family, married the Duke of Hamilton and subsequently married the Duke of Argyll. Moreover, in 1835 Pauline Jermyn, the penniless daughter of a clergyman, married the eldest son of a rich baronet and thus ended her days as Lady Trevelyan, the wife of a man who owned two large estates.

[mohamedahmedyassinhussein]

This was soo informing and enjoyed it but Where is part 2 ? 😭😭

[path]

Fanny's mother a sailor married for love and regretted it later.

[seanmcgcostumes]

This was so fascinating! Was part 2 ever posted?

[katiepotter]

Came for the Austen and costuming, and stayed for the memes.