Rebecca Lesson Plan

Chapter 1 acts as part of a frame for the main story in Rebecca. How would you describe the frame set up by the narrator in this chapter?

Students’ answers should indicate that they understand what a narrative framing device is. In this case, the frame, in a way, begins at the end. It shows where the narrator is in the present day and indicates that the drama of the story occurs in the past, which is behind the narrator. The frame sets a tone for the story to come. In her reminiscing, the narrator paints Manderley as a beautiful but ominous place. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” (1). The fact that much of the frame contains a dream only adds to the ominous...