Becky Sharp, heroine of Vanity Fair, manipulative, shrewd and determined at all costs to make her way into society, epitomizes the vibrant character of the Regency. This dynamic and spirited age was, not only, an era of inspiring heroes, such as Nelson and Wellington, but also an age of great literary achievement (think of Austen and Byron) and wonderful inventions, such as the steamship and the railway. High Society reads like a novel, taking the reader into this world of swashbuckling heroes and highwaymen, political salons, fascinating scandal and gentlemen's clubs. Venetia Murray's racy and evocative writing involves the reader completely. It is full of eccentric and charming characters, such as Beau Brummel, Harriette Wilson and the Duke of Wellington himself. Brummel was 'urbane, elegant and yet totally masculine,...the perfect hero of romantic fiction'. Brummel, the consummate dandy believed ikn absolute simplicity in men's fashion, detesting the 'outrageous dress' of the 18th century and decreeing it vulgar. The reputation of English tailoring for elegance is largely due to his emphasis on a coat's cut and style, writes Venetia Murray, rather than its materials or decoration. He was the height of elegance himself, his uniform during the day 'a perfectly fitting dark blue coat with brass buttons, leather breeches, top boots and stiff white cravat'. This outfit 'became the trademark of the Whigs.' Although his origins were middle class, Brummell became a leader not only in fashion but also in society: 'he could make or break a social aspirant with the lift of an eyebrow'. Unfortunately this stylish and elegant life ended in disaster. He overspent, entertaining, gambling and spending a fortune on clothes as well filling his Chesterfield Street house with exquisite furniture and porcelain. When his creditors closed in he fled to France where he lived in poverty, fulfilling his strange code of honour by refusing to accept large sums to write his racy memoirs. The spirit of Harriette Wilson, courtesan par excellence of the Regency, is also to be admired. "She changed lovers as easily as her shoes, it was said, "saying when she heard of a potential customer 'a fifty pound note will do as easily as an introduction'. The daughter of a Swiss clockmaker, her lovers included the Marquess of Lorne, the Marquess of Worcester, and the eminent lawyer Henry Brougham. But her most famous lover was the Duke of Wellington with whom she had a running affair for years.
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