An Elegant Madness

The Regency period was one of the most turbulent ages in British history, one that spanned the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, that witnessed unprecedented industrial progress, artistic accomplishment, and violent social unrest and--paradoxically--the most sparkling social scene English high society has ever enjoyed. Under the influence of the obese, loose-moraled Prince of Wales (to whom Jane Austen dedicated Emma), the Regency was the apex of British decadence, an era of lavish parties and relentless bed-hopping that set a standard for elegance and vulgarity. With wit and lively style, Venetia Murray chronicles the scandals, courtships, and daily life of these aristocrats, and evokes the tempestuous times of the early industrial and French revolutions. Sumptuously illustrated with rare contemporary cartoons, prints, diaries, and caricatures, An Elegant Madness is a book readers of social history and historical romance alike will devour.List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. An Impolite Society
2. Bucks, Beaux and 'Pinks of the Ton'
3. 'The Seventh Heaven of the Fashionable World'
4. Relative Values: The Cost of Living
5. London: The Most Prosperous City in Europe
6. From the Seaside Resorts to the Northern Meeting
7. 'A Mistress Had a Better Deal Than a Wife'
8. Clubs and Taverns: Gambling and Gluttony
9. The Age of Indulgence
10. The Pursuit of Pleasure
11. Charades and Epigrams: The Country House
12. Fashion, Manners and Mores: The New Liberalism
13. On the Eve of Reform
Selected Bibliography
Notes
IndexVenetia Murray worked as a journalist, writing for many major periodicals and newspapers, and published three novels before concentrating on social history. Her previous works of non-fiction include Echoes of the East End and Castle Howard: The Life and Times of a Stately Home, a three hundred year history of the castle that was the setting for Brideshead Revisited. She lives in Wiltshire, England.