Celebrating Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer was the first Regency romance novelist, although the also wrote books in other time periods. I discovered Ms. Heyer's books, and Regency romances, at the ripe old age of 33 or 34, when I finished grading a set of truly abysmal final exams, then visited the main branch of the Detroit Public Library (which was just across the street on the far side of the campus) to find something interesting to read over Christmas break.

Regency Buck was my introduction to Regency romances. Fortunately for me, the library had a large selection of Ms. Heyer's books and of Regency romances. (Does anyone remember Walker Regencies, the hardcover library editions? The DPL had a large collection of them, to my delight.)

It's hard to choose a favorite book by any author, but especially hard with Ms. Heyer's books---mostly because I can't make up my mind. Most days or weeks I choose The Talisman Ring, but sometimes I choose The Reluctant Widow. Occasionally, I pick The Toll-gate.

Georgette Heyer was born 110 years ago today. In honor of her birthday and her achievements,  romance authors are discussion her books and their favorites, at USA Today's Books blog.
Celebrating Georgette Heyer's Birthday

What is your favorite Georgette Heyer novel?

Life's Little Surprises

Yesterday, at the Freshmen Honors Luncheon (a lunch for freshmen in the Honors Program), at the close of a very strange week, I had the delightful surprise of discovering that I was sitting between two Jane Austen fans. I had chosen a seat at a table with three young ladies, one of whom I knew was an engineering student. In the course of the luncheon, one of the other women at the table (the assistant VP for programs and planning, the assistant VP for assessment, and the Honors Program Director) suggested that I should tell the students about my books. I gave my usual short explanation: "I write comedy of manners novels set in England in the early nineteenth century, similar to Jane Austen's books."

The two young ladies on either side of me, both of whom were engineering students---one a mechanical engineering student interested in biomedical engineering and the other in civil engineering---immediately replied, almost in unison, "Oh, I love Jane Austen!" If that wasn't amazing enough, one of them then told me, "We watch Pride and Prejudice in the dorm almost every Friday night." The dorm in question is the Honors Dorm, in which all freshmen in the Honors Program, 90-plus percent of the sophomores, and more than half of the juniors and seniors in the program reside.

Flabbergasted, but not (quite) beyond speech, I immediately inquired, "Which version? The A&E one or the new one?" "The one with Keira Knightley," Rachel, the young lady on my right, replied. When I confessed that I had not seen that movie yet, she said, "Dr. ----, you will have to come and watch it with us some night!" I told the girls that if they invited me the next time they planned to watch the movie, I'd come.

We had a lovely discussion of our favorite Jane Austen books. Rachel and Samantha share the same favorite Jane Austen novel: Pride and Prejudice. My favorite, depending on the day you ask, is either Sense and Sensibility or Persuasion. I told them the book group at my local bookstore had just read Emma.

When the Honors Program Director suggested that I tell the students about the Honors Seminar I taught last spring (the Honors Seminar in which none of the five students, one of whom was an English major, had ever read a book by Jane Austen), and I gave a three-sentence summary, both Rachel and Samantha exclaimed, "I'd love to take a class like that!", and asked when I would teach it again. Apparently, I will be teaching it again in the Spring of 2011. : )

What is your favorite Jane Austen novel?

Susannah