Profs & Pints Online presents: “Romance in Bridgerton’s Regency Era,” with Julie Taddeo, professor of British history at the University of Maryland at College Park.

[This talk will remain available in recorded form at the link given here for tickets and access.]

Britain’s Regency period, from 1811 to 1820, has never been so popular thanks to the Netflix series Bridgerton. Come learn about the historical context for Bridgerton, and how accurately the series depicts its time, from Julie Taddeo, an expert on British history and culture who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on the series Downton Abbey and Poldark.

Adapted from Julia Quinn's romance novel, The Duke and I, the Bridgertonseries covers the same ground as Jane Austen's novels—the marriage market, scheming mothers, dashing yet aloof heroes, and gossip mongers—while sexing up the TV period drama as we've never seen before.

But it's not just the racy sex scenes that makes this series different: its color conscious casting imagines for us a past free of racism. Is this fantasy indicative of the power of romance fiction to correct the abuses of the past, or is it a dangerous form of escapism that ignores the realities of slavery in the British colonies?

And how do we discuss the controversial marital bedroom scene in Bridgerton in the #metoo era?

This talk will look at how Bridgerton balances historical accuracy with the concerns and desires of its 21st century audience. In the process, it will offer us a spectacular display of wigs, dresses and glistening abs. You’re invited to join us with a cup of tea, a pint of bitter, or a Pimm’s and make a thoroughly British night of it.

Profs & Pints Online: Romance in Bridgerton’s Regency Era