Bayle-Mouillard, Élisabeth Félicie , Mme. The Gentleman and Lady's Book of Politeness and Propriety of Deportment. Allen and Ticknor, 1833. PDF retrieved from Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/09030613/.
Though this etiquette manual covers everything from letter writing to how to present oneself at church, this particular study looks at the section on funerals and mourning. In the early nineteenth century, mourning lasted for many days and revolved around clothing and rituals. Since this aspect of life has changed abundantly in modern times, studying these rituals of the past can help readers better understand their use in different pieces of literature.
This manual was created to help those who had immigrated become familiar with the customs and etiquette of Europe. It covers all manner of customs, from dancing balls to sporting events.
- Many of the modern funerary practices that are still observed today were founded in the early nineteenth century.
- Queen Victoria’s long mourning period after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, spurred many traditions that have since been abandoned, such as mourning the death of one's husband for a full year and six weeks.
- It was also not uncommon for people to spend the first forty days of mourning in their homes except to attend church.
- Many interesting rituals were found in etiquette manuals that contained funeral and mourning guidelines, as well as many other rules of etiquette for ladies and gentlemen of the early nineteenth century.
- Funerals became prevalent at this point in time because people felt it was important to spend money in this lifetime to make sure that their loved ones were sent out in a well-planned service.
- It was at this time in history that people in the lower and middle classes began to have a bit of stabilized income, and they decided to spend it in part on funerals. It would not have been uncommon for them to have their children go hungry so that they could save for their eventual funeral.
- People also bought into funeral clubs where they would invest money to eventually get back benefits toward the burial of their loved ones; however, these clubs eventually became corrupt.
- People in the upper class joined the funeral clubs for social reasons. People in the lower class joined because the child mortality rate was overwhelming.
While there are 244 pages in this book, our focus questions and subsequent connections are based on Part IV, Chapter II, Section 2, “Of Funerals and Mourning” (images 232–238):
- How can understanding funeral and mourning practices from the past help readers understand the choices characters make in a plotline?
- What funerary customs have been maintained from the nineteenth century?
- How can the application of funerary customs explain the behavior of Scrooge in Stave 5?
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- Students will independently read and annotate Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol, as well as the pages shown in images 232–238 of the Library of Congress text.
RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
- Students should pay special attention to the new vocabulary they encounter in the text. Some of these items will be specific to funerary customs and should be researched.
RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view based on cultural experience reflected in a work of literature.
- Students will seek to understand Scrooge’s point of view based on their understanding of funeral customs found in the Library of Congress text.
SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- Students will spend extended time in small groups discussing annotations of the text and how it affects analysis of Dickens and A Christmas Carol.
W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
- Students will create a thesis based on evidence from the Library of Congress piece and Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol.
W.9-10.1.a Introduce precise claims, distinguish the claims from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claims, counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
- Utilizing a thesis of their creation, students will create an essay using both the Library of Congress piece and Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol.
- Distribute a copy of the pages shown in images 232–238 (“Of Funerals and Mourning”) to each student. Ask students to read and annotate the chapter for details pertaining to the customs of funerals in the nineteenth century. Give students guidance by making a list on the board of key items, such as attire, duration of the mourning period, attendance, and order of events.
- Upon returning to class, ask students to share their annotations in small groups.
- Place large pieces of paper at the center of each group's table and have students brainstorm claims they can make centered on Scrooge and funerary customs. For example: Does the serious regard people had for death and burial during this period make Scrooge's reaction more profound when others treat his belongings with such disregard?
- Provide a graphic organizer for students to begin formulating their personal thesis. The Canva app has a wide variety of thesis-statement graphic organizers that can be manipulated online and shared directly with the teacher.
- Once students have a thesis statement, they can do an in-class timed writing with evidence pulled from both the Library of Congress piece and Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol, or the writing can be turned into a full essay.
This piece could be challenged because it talks about death. If a student has recently had a death in the family, or if the family prefers their student not to talk about death, use one of the alternative primary sources from the Library of Congress.
- This excellent etiquette book published in Chicago in 1896 is the perfect alternative for a student who might be sensitive to studying death or funerals. It includes a section on marriage customs that could be a nice alternative.
- This selection talks about ladies’ and gentlemen’s etiquette as opposed to focusing on death. It includes a section on what to do at the birth of a child, which would be more uplifting for some students.
- “Victorian Mourning & Funerary Practices”
- This excellent source gives a lot of detail on customs of the Victorian funeral. Many of the things we know today to be traditions of funerals originated in the early to mid nineteenth century. This website provides information as well as pictures and links that students can explore.
- “Bodies, Death, and Pauper Funerals”
- Utilize this journal article to familiarize yourself with details of Victorian customs and traditions for funerals. For higher-level students, it could be paired with Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol and the Library of Congress reading.
- Victorian Burial Customs and Superstitions
- This website provides a list of death and funeral superstitions that came out of the nineteenth century. These are interesting items to share with students and can add to the discussion of why Scrooge is so paranoid in Stave 5 of A Christmas Carol.