Angela Youngman’s The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World offers readers a compelling and insightful look beneath the surface of the genteel, romanticized settings of Austen’s novels, revealing the harsh realities and societal challenges that loomed large during the Regency and Georgian eras. This book is an eye-opening exploration of the darker elements of Austen’s world, showing that her works, often perceived as light-hearted tales of love and social maneuvering, are embedded with complex social commentary and reflections on the struggles faced by women, the poor, and the marginalized.

Youngman begins by dispelling the common misconception that Austen’s novels are merely escapist fare. While her novels are filled with elegant manners, witty dialogues, and idyllic country settings, they also subtly address the social constraints that governed the lives of her characters—particularly women. The book delves into the stark realities of what it meant to remain single or enter into an unhappy marriage during Austen’s time, revealing the severe limitations women faced in terms of financial independence, personal agency, and societal expectations.

One of the key strengths of The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World is Youngman’s ability to connect real historical events and issues to the fictional worlds Austen created. For instance, the book highlights the precarious situation of unmarried women, like Austen herself, who often had few options beyond marriage to ensure financial security. Youngman discusses the devastating consequences of spinsterhood and how women were left vulnerable to poverty and social ostracism. This theme is evident in Austen’s characters like Charlotte Lucas (Pride and Prejudice) and Miss Bates (Emma), whose fates reflect the grim realities of women’s dependency on male relatives or husbands.

Youngman also brings attention to the risks and burdens that marriage itself entailed. She emphasizes that marriage was not always the happy ending it’s portrayed as in fiction; rather, it often came with significant dangers, such as domestic violence, death during childbirth, and the legal limitations that rendered married women powerless. Austen, aware of these risks, often portrayed marriage with a keen eye for its potential pitfalls, subtly critiquing the institution through her narratives.

Beyond the gender dynamics, Youngman delves into broader social issues that affected all levels of society during the Regency period, such as poverty, crime, and poor medical standards. She draws parallels between the struggles of Austen’s characters—who often face financial insecurity and social ruin—and the real-world problems of the time. Youngman’s exploration of issues like opium addiction, the state of prisons, and the rudimentary healthcare available during Austen’s era provides a gritty backdrop to the more polished and refined worlds we often associate with Austen’s works.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of the book is the discussion of Austen’s family life, particularly the shocking fact that her own aunt spent months in prison for theft and faced transportation to the colonies. This anecdote offers a glimpse into how even members of the gentry were not immune to the harsh legal penalties of the time. Youngman uses this to illustrate the constant threat of social disgrace that loomed over women and families, especially in a society where reputation could make or break a person’s future.

The book also touches on the larger political and economic forces at play during Austen’s time, including the impact of slavery and colonialism. Youngman does not shy away from exploring the moral complexities of the British Empire and its reliance on slavery, even though such topics are often only hinted at in Austen’s works, such as in Mansfield Park. Additionally, the phenomenon of "fishing fleets," where young women were sent to India to marry wealthy but unknown men, is another intriguing detail that Youngman uses to show the lengths to which families would go to ensure their daughters’ futures.

Through all these lenses, Youngman paints a picture of Jane Austen not as a detached, naïve chronicler of romance, but as a keen observer of the societal inequities and struggles of her time. Austen’s novels, Youngman argues, contain layers of social critique that reflect her awareness of the darker realities beneath the surface of Regency life. This reframing of Austen as a social commentator adds depth to her work, inviting readers to revisit familiar novels with a new understanding of the historical context in which they were written.

Final Thoughts:
The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World is a must-read for anyone who loves Austen’s novels and is curious about the historical context in which they were written. Angela Youngman does an excellent job of peeling back the layers of Austen’s society to reveal the gritty, often harsh realities faced by women and the broader population during the Regency era. This well-researched, insightful book deepens the reader’s appreciation for Austen’s subtle social critiques and serves as a reminder that beneath the wit and romance, her novels reflect a world filled with struggles, injustices, and dark truths.

This is a fascinating read. A real slice of Regency history which gives context to many of the romanticised novels of the time. The research appears to be thorough and Angela Youngman has looked at a number of social issues which shaped society. These include crime and punishment, the East India Company and the insidious opium trade, the role of women and much more.

It’s well written and gives a detailed insight into the subjects considered. I found it easy to read and enjoyable and it certainly adds depths to Austen’s novels, where the darker side of society is ignored.

I genuinely enjoy Georgian/Regency romance novels, and oftentimes find myself researching a lot about different aspects of the time. I feel like it’s an era that is so romanticized but, in reality, wasn’t good for women of any class. Understanding the social context makes reading both Austen and contemporary novels set in the time a richer, more nuanced experience.

If you enjoy Austen, or romance set in the Georgian/Regency period, I highly recommend this book. It goes in depth into the reality of the time, examining a wide variety of issues, from the place of women, to how disease and war impacted families. I especially learned the section on the East India Company. Even though it is non-fiction, this is a very engaging book. I found myself picking it up before the romance and the thriller that I was reading alongside it.

Taking both Jane Austens novels and her life as a sringboard, the author delves into some of the darkest aspects of life in Georgian England. She explores women's roles, crime, slavery, war, and the opium trade amongst other things. This is a very readable popular history and many of her cited texts were ones I had already read, so there was little for me to learn about her life or books, but it was interesting when it came to live in general during that time. That said, I was a bit unsure as to the accuracy of some of her 'facts'.

There are books and subjects that I would be interested in for some further reading. I found the chapters on the slave and opium trade interesting and would like to read up on those.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

Having requested it on a whim, I found this to be a really interesting & informative read. Covering illness, crime, poverty, & more, the reader is given a thorough tour through the pitfalls of life in Regency & Georgian England. In many cases, it is a wonder that enough people survived to carry the population on especially with the ubiquitous opium use even in medicines such as cough syrup. One popular cough medicine apparently contained 60 drops of laudanum per bottle - no wonder they didn't cough, they were probably in a drug-induced coma! There was also the marriage aspect aka the 'meat market'. The constraints upon women & the insistence of primogeniture in Regency & Georgian society had the unfortunate effect of turning most young women & younger sons into gold-diggers basically.

It was mainly well-written & keeps the reader's interest. I feel that when I re-read Austen's work after reading this, I will pick up on a lot of subtext I missed before. There's just one issue for me, & it may have been because of how the book was organised, but there seemed to be a fair bit of repetition in different chapters. For example, the reader is told at least 3 if not 4 times that the governor-general of India, Warren Hastings, sent his young son over to England into the care of Rev Austen & his wife where he unfortunately died of a sudden illness. Apart from that, I recommend this to all Jane Austen fans out there who want to know more about the world she lived in. 4.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

When I first heard about this book I thought it was going to be a sort of gothic spoof in the vein of Northanger Abbey, but of course in fact it's a non-fiction book, that dives deeply into the darker side of life in Austen's time. I found it to be a very interesting laying out of all the directions in which perils lay - rather like the edges of the old maps, marked with 'here be dragons'! Each chapter, which is just the right length for a sitting, delineates a particular peril relevant to the time - and there were many - like health considerations, the reliance on wealthy or influential connections (never underestimate the value of the patronage of Lady Catherine de Burgh!), taxes & politics, crime & punishment, loss of reputation, financial worries (with a very real risk of winding up in genteel poverty, like poor Miss Bates), opium & laudanum use and addiction (& the East India Company's stranglehold on trade), smuggling, slavery... the list goes on! And the ladies of Jane's time had so few options open to them, so little choice over their futures - it gives a whole new understanding of Charlotte Lucas' choice to wed the odious Mr Collins! Lots of interesting angles, sources and research, including a few things that are local to my area (and even one of our Branch member's books is quoted!) which is always fun, and many snippets of information and detail that were quite unknown to me - I thought it was truly interesting and highly recommend it. [NB: As this was an advance copy there were several bits that needed 'finessing', including a prominent family name in Jane's history spelled wrongly throughout, but I trust this will all be sorted with editing/proofing before release.]

Angela Youngman’s “The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World” explores the historical context surrounding Jane Austen’s novels providing insights for both Austen enthusiasts and those curious about the era.

Youngman covers a wide range of subjects, from the lives of women and men to education, marriage, and health. The inclusion of darker topics such as crime, punishments, opium addiction, and slavery adds depth to the realities of Georgian and Regency Britain, especially if you are unaware of this history.

The author's writing style is simplistic, summarizing, reporting on, and referencing the works of experts. My early impression was that Youngman was neither a historian nor an expert on Jane Austen's work, which proved true when I searched her. However, this book does amalgamate key topics into chapters that you could read in any order and new readers to the world of Austen and Regency Britain will find something of interest here.

If you enjoy Jane Austen’s novels and want to delve a little deeper into her world's social, political, and economic aspects, “The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World” could be a worthwhile read. It sheds light on the complexities beyond the romantic plots, revealing the hidden facets of Austen’s society.

This was fascinating, especially for lovers of Jane Austen, of course. Angela Youngman discusses the dark side of JA’s novels thoroughly, including such topics as crime, slavery and primogeniture. Life in the 18th and 19th centuries was still ‘nasty, brutish and short’. Even having a baby was incredibly dangerous. Although Jane didn’t have a hard life herself, she observed plenty of misery and she was well aware of current events. The threat of a harsh criminal ounishment came quite close to the family when her aunt was accused of stealing a yard of lufe and faced being transported to Australia if she was found guilty.

I recommend this for anyone who likes Jane, or as a useful reference book.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Dark Side of Jane Austen's World by Angela Youngman is an intriguing concept, especially to Austen and/or Regency fans. The Regency/Georgian era could not be more fascinating to learn about, the good and the bad. Austen's books are so comforting they were used as therapy in World War I. In this book we see parallels between Austen's works and real life. The illustrations are wonderful!

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice continues to be the most beloved novel of all time (if only she knew!). Many of us have pored over her brilliant and unfortunately few works, over and over, for pure joy and to also to glean better knowledge and understanding of the world she was part of.

Youngman's book reveals the dark bits such as the necessity of a young girl securing a husband, preferably with a generous allowance. Though once married, a woman and her possessions (if any) became her husband's, her needs were met. If single (during this era about two thirds were), women had to rely on family (even distant relatives), charity or an occupation such as governess. But there were marriage settlements as well. Male occupations are detailed.

Adoption of children within families wasn't unheard of, including Jane's brother Edward who was adopted by a wealthy cousin. In this way, Edward owned property and land and thus able to help Jane's family financially. Education, boarding schools, disease, low mortality rates, circulating libraries, horrifying pelican dental implement, "Fishing Fleet", upholding reputation, ship "prize captures, childbirth and "madness" are described.

We cherish Jane Austen and treasure her works...and always will. But her life and those of her peers were rife with hardship and often much too short. I am grateful for books like this which keep Jane Austen forever in our hearts.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating book.

This was such an interesting book on the darker side of Austens life and world. It is a great companion too if you have read some of Jane austens books and even books in that time period. There are some dark areas to the book but if you look deep into a lot of the Austen novels after reading this I think you will find you look more into what is been written.
Great read!

Interesting way to write a popular history book in my opinion! Youngman use the book by Jane Austen to illustrate the several different aspects of Regency Britain with classes, poverty, sickness etc. I feel like this works quite well for what the author wants to present with this book. In tune with Austen’s books many of the chapters focus on the lives of women like with marriage, work and so on.

All in all an okay read. If you know absolute nothing about Georgian times maybe this could be a good start to keep up an interest.

Angela Youngman’s The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World offers an illuminating and engrossing exploration into the less-discussed aspects of the Regency era, which Jane Austen depicted so vividly in her novels. Youngman deftly peels back the genteel veneer of Austen's world to reveal the gritty realities of the time—crime, disease, poverty, and societal inequalities—that often lurked just beneath the surface of the polite society.

The Dark Side of Jane Austen’s World is a compelling and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the Regency era or the works of Jane Austen. Youngman’s meticulous research and engaging writing provide a valuable addition to the literature on this period, shedding light on the complexities and contradictions of Austen’s world. Despite some minor flaws in structure and repetition, the book is a fascinating exploration that offers new insights into the darker undercurrents of a seemingly genteel society.

Overall, Angela Youngman’s book earns a solid four stars out of five for its enlightening content and accessible writing style. It is a must-read for Austen enthusiasts and history buffs alike, providing a richer understanding of the world that shaped some of the most beloved novels in English literature.

Enjoyed this very much. An insight into Georgian/Regency Britain, covering women's lives (basically it's marry well or be a burden on your relatives), health/medicine, slavery, the opium trade, crime and prison. I know the period quite well, but learned a few new things from the book - and I was very intrigued by the Fishing Fleet. Four stars. Thank you to Netgalley, Pen and Sword and the author for the ARC.

This is a really engaging way to combine social history and biography. Full of fascinating information, it is also true to the title and ties everything back to Jane Austen and her life. I especially appreciated the insights into the opium and slave trades, which were deeply troubling but incredibly enlightening.

While quoting Austen’s novels and letters, many things were taken out of context and “Bennet” was misspelled throughout.

Not a great start.

Given the breadth of the topic, some concepts were oversimplified, but my real issue was I questioned several conclusions, such as the “stays/corsets are restrictive and uncomfortable” myth. Regency women weren’t fainting all the time and unable to bend at the waist. Mourning rituals weren’t quite as rigid as the Victorians who followed them. In one chapter she assumes women knew nothing about sex or pregnancy before marriage (which doesn’t hold up when you look at baptism and marriage records or read contemporary diaries and letters) but later she claims single women knew all about sex and pregnancy because they had to help in their married siblings homes during childbirth. And the author claimed Austen’s family didn’t consider her a writer when her letters have several mentions of her brothers’, nieces’, and sister’s interest and support in her writing.

There were statements throughout that were contradictory or just plain incorrect. This takes away from what could have at least been an introduction for Austen, Austenesque, or regency romance fans—and anyone who romanticizes the regency era—who know absolutely nothing about the time period. But editing errors and unsubstantiated long shot conclusions and mistakes about Austen keep me from recommending this.

I was deeply interested in this book and its subject, and I was not disappointed.
If you are enchanted by Recency romance and you read Jane Austen's novels for their love stories, well, you definitely need to read this book.

"The dark side of Jane Austen's world" is an accurate analysis of what was Austen's society, all the rigid rules and what we now would call social injustices, women's awful conditions (even when they belonged to wealthy families) and the cages in which they were entrapped. But it also offers some fun facts about life, education and manners in those ages. Some of them really seem so alien to our contemporary style of life!

The essay is based both on real documents of the period as well as on Austen's letters and then, of course, on passsages from her novels, demonstrating that Jane was an accurate historic beside being an amazing novelist.

The language is clear and simple and the writing hold the attention with several anecdotes and quotes.

I personally adore this kind of books as they offer me interesting investigations into my favourite historical periods and give me all those precious hints on the background of my most beloved books and writers. I would warmly suggest this title to understand even more the value of Jane Austen's works and the revolution that she started with her vision and thoughts.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

DNF @ 9%

thoughts: misspelled the Bennet’s last name; not super high quality writing; skimmed ahead and there was a giant rant about how evil and constricting and toxic patriarchal values-inflicting women’s historical undergarments were. so. not the vibe or a good use of my time!!

This book provides a good and interesting insight into the world Jane Austen lived in. Whether it deals with Jane's life, politics, crime, war, religion or health risks and medicine, I did learn a few details even though my knowledge of the Regency period is quite extended. I recommend this well researched book.
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

A heartbreaking look at what was happening outside Jane Austen's home while she was writing her beloved novels. Women in particular faced difficult lives if they remained single or even if they married. Looming poverty, terrible medical care, dangerous crime, and a lack of property all made for a miserable life. Jane was aware of all of these societal challenges. Consider her own death at the young age of 41. Janeites will want to add this eye-opening book to their TBRs to add depth to their understanding of Austen's life and times.