Her comedies of manners paid homage to those of Jane Austen and were set during the period in which Jane Austen wrote. It is the tradition of Georgette Heyer, and ultimately of Jane Austen, which continues to serve today's Regency Romances. The setting, in its most literal interpretation, encompasses the years 1811 to 1820. Most Regency Romances tend to stay within the brief confines of the literal period. The Regency Romance genre is appealing in great part due to the richness of the setting.
Most Regencies focus on the aristocracy.
It is that small, glittering, elegant world seemingly insulated from the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars, the beginnings of political, social, and agricultural reform, and the onset of the industrial revolution that provides a very real and complex backdrop for the stories of Regency Romances. While the war ravaged the Continent and affected most English families through the loss of sons, fathers, brothers, and uncles, and while the Luddites rioted against industrialization, Society persevered in its elegant finery at balls and routs and parties of all kinds. He was also one of the best educated monarchs England has ever seen. The Prince Regent, sometimes known as Prinny, will occasionally make an appearance in a Regency Romance. This rich context of early 19th century England is remote enough to provide a welcome escape as a romantic setting, but not so distant as to be unfamiliar.