Although mostly fictional, Kevin Hood's Becoming Jane displays a well researched, well executed plot line and character development as well as keen insight into the manners and etiquette of the period. In this short excerpt, one can experience the grandeur of the Gentry Ball: a small private party held by great gentlemen and ladies which usually included dining and dancing. The evening meal was typically held after the ball, close to midnight, consisiting of eight to ten courses, serving such items as "...soup, pigeon pie, veal, cheese, oysters, and trifles, and was typically served with wine or negus, which was a mixture of boiling water, wine, lemon, spices, and calves-foot jelly (Classes of Regency Balls By Sandra Causey)."
Flirtation
It was highly improper, according to social etiquette, for a woman to dance more than two dances with the same partner, unless engaged. Due to the social nature of dancing in the period, it was also unacceptable for husbands and wives to dance together more than one dance. However, it was quite expected for young couples to use the opportunity of a dance to flirt with the opposite sex. A dance in the Regency Period often lasted for thirty minutes, giving young people ample time to get to know one another, since talking without a chaperon was forbidden before marriage.
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