ABSTRACT
In the hands of Georgette Heyer historical romances ceased to be primarily stories of adventure and became love stories with an appeal to a mainly female audience. Heyer changed the function of the genre without radically changing the form. This is only one of the ways in which the genre has been adapted to new functions throughout the course of its history. In the period between 1890 and 1900, for instance, these adaptations echoed attitudes among the readers which arose from the dwindling of Britain’s status in the world and from changes in society. Like those of other popular genres1 the texts normalize such attitudes and make any contradictions they may reveal less evident, although they also allow the expression of protest to some extent.
