This week, we’ve been wowed by the Research Nerds (Cara and Elena), Amanda’s cooking larks, and Janet’s quest for inspiration. Today I woke up with a vicious, pre-flu headache, which necessitates my bringing the tone down a bit for today’s post. Discussion follows the quiz:
Oh dear, you are Bookish, aren’t you? You are a highly intelligent and witty bluestocking, whose beauty is hidden behind spectacles. Your dress sense is eccentric and a little unfashionable, and you consider yourself plain. You have very little use for men, who find your knowledge of Shakespeare, interest in politics and forthright speech formidable. You are undoubtedly well-off. The only reason for your presence in a novel of this kind (which, I might add, you would not dream of reading, although you have occasionally enjoyed the works of Miss Austen), is your mother, who is absolutely determined that you will make a good marriage. Rather than defying her directly, you are quietly subversive, dancing with anyone who asks you, but making no attempt to hide your intellectual interests. The only person who can get past your facade is the man who is witty enough to spar with you, and be amused at your blatant attempts to scare your suitors away. While you will, no doubt, subject him to a gruelling cross-examination to find out whether his respect for your intelligence is real or mere flattery, you may be sure that he is your match, and that you, he AND your mother will all live happily ever after,
The Regency Romance Quiz: What kind of Romance Heroine are you?
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Okay, so probably a lot of romance readers would get the same result. Most of us are, by definition, bookish. But is that the kind of heroine you like to read about? For me, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ I love the intellectual, forthright, opinionated heroines who aren’t afraid of saying what they know. I don’t mind reading about feisty women, but they also have to be intelligent, not just spirited. Amanda Quick’s heroines are usually this type of bookish miss, and I love them. Loretta Chase’s heroines are often a good deal smarter than the hero (or at least it seems that way). Many traditional Regencies feature governesses, companions, scholars’ and vicars’ daughters, and I like reading their transformation as they develop a passion for love as well as for books.
So–which personality types do you most like your heroines to have? Do you consider yourself a “highly intelligent and witty Bluestocking?” And which heroines best demonstrate the qualities you like the most?
Thanks for sharing!
Megan
http://www.meganframpton.com
What a fabulous quiz (I got the Ingres lady in a tarty red dress that Elena–I think–posted in her best-dressed fashion post a week or so back).
And the results:
I’m sorry, my dear, but you are Quite Unsuitable. You are intelligent, beautiful and witty, but your father was in Trade. Or your uncle owns a gaming house. Or your brother shot himself on inheriting the estate and discovering that there was no money. You may even have been born on the wrong side of the blanket. Certainly, you are Not Quite Respectable, and will not be invited to Society parties. Fortunately for you, the man of your dreams can see past your apparent ineligibility, and is rich and powerful enough to make it stick. Although he may at first offer you an establishment of the most irregular kind (which I hope for your sake you will refuse), his thoughts will soon turn to marriage. His family, however, will be less convinced of your virtues, and they may do their best to make your life miserable when they realise he is courting you. You are, of course, too noble to let him harm his reputation by marrying you, and will probably run away from him and into trouble at least once during the novel before agreeing to marry him at the end.
I do love brainy heroines — but they’re not the only sort I love. One of my started-but-never-finished Regencies has as a heroine someone who might almost be called an airhead… And I love the heroines in Heyer’s FRIDAY’S CHILD and CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, neither of whom are what one might call super bright. 🙂
On the other hand, my heroine in GAMESTER is very bright. In fact, she’s quite brilliant at cards, even better than the hero (which Heyer never did — Heyer’s heroes are always a bit stronger and more savvy than the heroines…)
So I guess I like a range!
Cara
I’m bookish too. . . but if I had anything else come up, I would have been shocked! LOL 🙂 I always identify with the bluestockings, it’s always been me for the past 29 years of my life. LOL 🙂
Great quiz, Megan! I also discovered I’m “bookish” (big surprise!). I liked the “faint and runaway” answer to that villain question the best. 🙂
I do like bookish heroines, I guess because I identify with them the most. I’d kind of like to read a book where the heroine was a “social butterfly”, and not a Classical scholar in disguise. Does anyone have any titles to suggest?
I love these quizzes. I did come out as the bookish one, but several times I wanted to click “Other” or “several of the above” or even “all of the above” so I don’t know for sure.
Maybe I’m just schizophrenic? Don’t answer that!
Elena 🙂
Love this Quiz! I came out as a bluestocking, too. I want to take the quiz and answer differently every time to see what types are available…
I really am a sucker for the bluestocking heroine, but more and more I see heroines who have bluestocking tendencies but who are also beautiful social butterflies. Not that I mind this combination, but I would like to see “real” bluestockings as lead characters. It’s almost as if authors are afraid that if they write their bluestocking too true to form that readers won’t like them.
Amanda, Edith Layton’s To Wed a Stranger features a belle of the ball type with no bluestocking tendencies whatsoever…
Superb quiz. I thoroughly enjoyed myself 🙂
And the results:
Oh dear, you are Bookish, aren’t you? You are a highly intelligent and witty bluestocking, whose beauty is hidden behind spectacles. Your dress sense is eccentric and a little unfashionable, and you consider yourself plain. You have very little use for men, who find your knowledge of Shakespeare, interest in politics and forthright speech formidable. You are undoubtedly well-off. The only reason for your presence in a novel of this kind (which, I might add, you would not dream of reading, although you have occasionally enjoyed the works of Miss Austen), is your mother, who is absolutely determined that you will make a good marriage. Rather than defying her directly, you are quietly subversive, dancing with anyone who asks you, but making no attempt to hide your intellectual interests. The only person who can get past your facade is the man who is witty enough to spar with you, and be amused at your blatant attempts to scare your suitors away. While you will, no doubt, subject him to a gruelling cross-examination to find out whether his respect for your intelligence is real or mere flattery, you may be sure that he is your match, and that you, he AND your mother will all live happily ever after
Apparently, I’m the ingenue, because I said I love to go to parties! But I do love the brainy heroines, however I would love to read a regency sort of like Legally Blonde where the heroine realizes that she has actually more to offer than just being pretty and fluffy.