Empire gowns, ballroom etiquette, and often scandalous romance, all staples to a Regency period drama – but are these key ingredients what makes the genre so popular? With Netflix recently announcing the production of a new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s
Persuasion, and the phenomenal success of both
Bridgerton and
Emma in 2020, it appears the popularity and demand for Regency drama has surged and shows no sign of stopping.
Jane Austen novels seem to lend themselves to continual reinvention, and it could be claimed that the enduring appeal of her writing explains the continued popularity of the genre. Her wit, humour and flawed, yet endearing, characters are still major staples of popular culture over two hundred years later. In fact, debates are still being had as to whether the 1995 or 2005 adaptation of