The Unkindest Cut of All: the Regency Art of Insult

Presented Bt: Maureen J. Patrick, M.L.A.

If you leapt out of a time machine into Bath or London in 1815, you’d want to be armed with a few things to help you navigate the ton. Chief among them would be the cut. Designed to show anything from disdain to grave insult, the cut was recognized in four major forms, though variations were legion. In Part One of this wholly for-fun and interactive workshop, attendees will take their places on a Regency sidewalk and enact the cuts until they are perfected!

Part Two of the workshop takes place alongside Part One. A small but select grammar of Regency Era verbal insults (none obscene or profane) will be shared so that the victim of the cut may respond – lustily and with any extemporaneous embellishments that spring to mind!

Attendees will take turns as both The One Who Cuts and The One Who Responds. Cuts shall not escalate to dueling, whether pistols or parasols! Be prepared for laughter and frivolity, with nothing taken seriously and all Good Opinion Restored at the end!

Requirements: Enough room for the number of attendees to move around freely (standing and walking), and enough chairs to sit when not moving. Tables or desks are not required. No special flooring is required. Can be done out of doors, provided chairs are supplied. Amplification is unnecessary, but everyone should be able to hear.

Instructor Bio

Maureen J. Patrick, M.L.A. is a cultural historian and retired museum professional. She’s also a novelist whose special focus is historical romance. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and her current work making the rounds of literary agents is a Victorian romance set in London in 1892.

Duration: one hour

Donnelly Park

Sunday, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Price $27.00