Web Activities 2

9.2 Victorian Mourning Customs

Mourning is a process that is managed, in part, by social and cultural norms for expressing grief. For example, the norms or "rules" for behavior have changed significantly over time in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, it was the custom that the death of a close relation required some outward mark of respect toward their memory. Hence, black arm bands. Victorian mourning customs were quite elaborate. Use Google to seek out and read several articles about Victorian mourning customs. Then respond to the following:


1			Who was the woman who began the cult-like phenomenon of Victorian mourning customs? Explain her role and the response of the middle class.




2			Describe the proper mourning fashions for each stage of the process.




3			How did mourning customs differ by gender?




4			What Victorian mourning customs are discussed as being "morbid" by today’s standards?




5			What are some of the most interesting things you have learned about mourning during Victorian times as a result of your research?

Your Results:

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