Of course, courtship is not exclusive to the contemporary world. The world of the past needs it too.
M/M Romances, frankly, have an easier time here--and no, that isn't a political statement. It's a writing one. Two men (or two women) in the nineteenth century could go out and do something together, rather than sitting around a drawing room or a ball (it did depend on the economic class).
In "Introducing Mr. Winterbourne" by Joanna Chambers, the men fence. (Boxing was also an option.) In
The Ruin of the Rake by Cat Sebastian and in
A Minor Inconvenience by Sarah Granger, they go horseback riding (which was actually an acceptable "date" between a man and a woman, so long as it was horseback riding in the park). In
An Unusual Courtship by Katherine Marlowe, the men check out an archaeological site without a chaperone.
I admit to getting the biggest kick out of the turn-of-the-century dates: people still go to movies and diners and on picnics!
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| Transport has always been dangerous! |
On the other hand, it is also very amusing when a trope gets turned on its head. In Cat Sebastian's
The Soldier's Scoundrel, two nineteenth century men take a drive out of London. Ah, a drive through the countryside--how pleasant and romantic! Except carriages back in the nineteenth century didn't exactly have shock absorbers and other modern conveniences. People could get quite nauseous. Londoner born and bred Jack HATES it.
Luckily, he and Oliver are on a case--otherwise, date over!
Of course, considering the number of murder mysteries I deal with, dead bodies do have a tendency to pop up during these dates.
Of course, courtship is not exclusive to the contemporary world. The world of the past needs it too.
