In Praise of the Edwardian Romance

The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley's Edwardian-set novel, begins with the line "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there," which is quite apt considering the changes wrought on English society between the years 1900 and 1953 (when the book was first published). Yet, looking back over the last one hundred years, the Edwardian era is a "foreign country" to those of us in the 21st century, but it is also quite familiar. Though our 1900s counterparts had servants, strict etiquette, and rigid class systems, they also had telephones, automobiles, elevators, and electricity, and this was a time in which women began to flourish. All in all, it is an exciting blend of tradition and modernity.

Regency England remains a perennial favorite for readers, but with the rousing success of Downton Abbey, I definitely hope to see more novels set during the first decades of the twentieth century (including my own *g*)! For those hesitant to dip their toes into the time period, I highly recommend the following books: