Published: 2024
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Author: Adrian Mackinder
Illustrator: N/A
Genres: Nonfiction, History, Cultural Studies
Audience (Grade Levels): High School (Grades 9-12)
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)
Goodreads Link: Death and the Victorians: A Dark Fascination
Triggers: Death, corpses, graphic historical descriptions of decomposition and mourning
Review By: Gina Iorio
Publisher’s Summary:
From spooky stories and real-life ghost hunting, to shows about murder and serial killers, we are fascinated by death – and we owe these modern obsessions to the Victorian age. Death and the Victorians explores a period in history when the search for the truth about what lies beyond our mortal realm was matched only by the imagination and invention used to find it.
Walk among London’s festering graveyards, where the dead were literally rising from the grave. Visit the Paris Morgue, where thousands flocked to view the spectacle of death every single day. Lift the veil on how spirits were invited into the home, secret societies taught ways to survive death, and the latest science and technology was applied to provide proof of the afterlife. Find out why the Victorian era is considered the golden age of the ghost story, exemplified by tales from the likes of Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Oscar Wilde and Henry James.
Review:
Little known fact, well not to those that know me, but I am obsessed with the Victorian era. I have over 50 books, from the 19th century, on etiquette and various topics dedicated to the Victorian woman. My favorite topic is death and mourning and while there are many ephemeralities and articles written about the subject, there are few books. On a quest for more information, I stumbled across Death and the Victorians on Netgalley.
Death and the Victorians is a comprehensive exploration of how death was perceived, experienced, and commemorated during the Victorian era. Mackinder delves into various aspects of Victorian attitudes towards death, including mourning rituals, funerary practices, and the rise of the funeral industry. One of the strengths of the book is its examination of the cultural, social, and religious factors that shaped Victorian attitudes towards death. Mackinder provides valuable insights into how Victorian society grappled with mortality, drawing on a wide range of primary sources, including diaries, letters, and contemporary literature.
The book also sheds light on the ways in which Victorian mourning practices were influenced by class, gender, and social status. Mackinder explores the elaborate rituals and customs surrounding death, from the wearing of mourning attire to the creation of elaborate memorial keepsakes. “Death and the Victorians” is a fascinating look into Victorian society. Mackinder’s thorough research and engaging writing style make this book a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of death and mourning in the 19th century.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- World History / European History (The Victorian Era): Use this text to supplement a unit on 19th-century industrialization, public health, and urban development. Students can research how population booms in major cities like London led to the “festering graveyards” described in the book, prompting the development of suburban garden cemeteries.
- English Language Arts (Gothic Literature Connection): Pair this historical analysis with the study of Victorian ghost stories by Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, or Henry James. Have students evaluate how real-life mourning customs and the era’s spiritualism movement influenced the atmospheric tropes of Gothic and horror literature.
- Sociology / Economics (The Business of Death): Explore how classism dictated societal expectations. Have students analyze how Victorian mourning practices became a commercial industry, tracking how wealth, gender, and social standing directly influenced the rigid etiquette rules of attire and jewelry.
- Extension Activity (Primary Source Analysis): Inspired by Mackinder’s research methods, challenge students to investigate local historical archives or digital libraries for 19th-century primary sources (e.g., obituary columns, photographs, letters, or etiquette manuals) to write a brief report on how their own community historically managed public mourning.
