Themes to invest in Manhwas: Regency Era + The Gilded Age
Since I've made this Tumblr page for the manhwa scene, I think I can also start sharing my ideas for more diverse settings of rofan manhwas instead of mashing the same five European royal aesthetics (and sometimes throw in an orientalist/racist depiction of SWANA culture for representation)
Part 1: Regency Era (official dating 1811 to 1820 but it can stretch up until 1795 to 1837)
The aesthetic of Regency era depicted in movies have the same essence as rofan manhwa with very sweet cliche romance drowned in pretty silk dresses and courtships and balls. However, if you are someone who wants to dwell more on societal settings in the bigger picture, the class difference in this time is also very worth learning though I doubt any manhwa authors would ever have any of their cast lower than nobles simply for the convenience of class and it takes more effort and time to research and write this topic with grace (which funnily enough I have thought a background such as S.Korea would make more authors highlight this in rofan manhwa the same as they do in modern school action series).
However if anyone were to depict this period with intention of realism, the Regency Era, in all its glory, was an era of turbulence for the British. With influence of the Napoleonic War and the 1812 War, it threw England into more debt and becoming a hellscape for common people, pushing the class difference worse. While for England, the regency era was easier to document, digest, and build a setting around if authors were to portray a classic period romance, it is also complex enough to dwell in.
The Regency Era media is a lot, some notable, well-known series/movies of this era are: Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Bridgerton! And there are also very good, underrated manhwas in this settings that I hope can be more well known such as Miss Pendleton-a story between a Regency era matchmaker and London's high society most sought out bachelor (I would make a review soon if I have time)
PART 2: The Gilded Age (1870s to the early 1900s)
Welcome to the most corrupted age of a nation! The Gilded Age was American's most rapid rise of corruption, class inequality and putting on a shiny mask to hide the rotten nature of the country after the Civil Wars. Funnily enough, to add even more irony, the name "The Gilded Age" was named after Mark Twain's satirical commentary piece about this era (I love satirical pieces, speaking of it makes me want to talk about Master And Margarita and the setting of the USSR too now, sighs)
This era is the setting stone of American's oil and railway industry most well-known names such as the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. An extravagant shows of capitalists trying to play roles of the British nobles if I'm honest. If authors want to dwell in a Games-of-Thrones-esque battle for money and glory between these families, it is totally a good theme to invest but you know what is more interesting? Southern Gothic
The horror rofan manhwa genre should get a boost in the theme and include it. However, since the Southern Gothic revolve around really heavy themes such as religion and slavery, I don't know if they can be written with grace. However, it is a great source to write unreliable narrators. One of my favorite Southern Gothic novels is Absalom! Absalom! by William Faulkner and with a diverse cast as such I think it would be very interesting seeing how a story takes place through word of mouth of a part that can't tell a story
