Rebecca

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the characters live by the rules of aristocratic British etiquette. Although the novel takes place in the 1930s, the characters navigate the strict social classes by following rules passed down from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Consider any British period dramas you may have seen or read, such as Pride and Prejudice, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, or The Crown. How would you describe the society in which the characters live? What rules of etiquette govern their lives?

Teaching Suggestion: You might introduce this question by having students consider etiquette and manners in their own family and culture. Ask, for example: How do you behave in a group that includes older people? How do you greet someone you are meeting for the first time? Are there any rules your family follows at the dinner table? What are some occasions that require you to dress a certain way?

• This article from the Driehaus Museum describes the strict rules of etiquette during the Edwardian era (1901-1910) and provides some historical context for the complex and rigid rules of the Gilded Age.