FEMALE SEXUAL REPRESSION IN DRACULA Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula are primarily presented in two ways: There is the sexual being created solely with the aid Dracula’s vampire influence, and the device manipulated and virtually exploited by the men throughout the novel to contribute to the fight between Dracula and Van Helsing and his companions. This battle is not only the literal battle between Dracula and the men, but it is primarily a battle for the empowerment of women, both sexually and intellectually a fight against the constricting social boundaries which forced men and women into their respective roles. Dracula’s bite enables women to become sexual penetrators. Using their sharp teeth to penetrate men, the reverse the traditional gender roles and placemen in the passive position customarily reserved for women. The instance when Mina drinks from Dracula’s breast is the strongest example of this; where the reader to this point is accustomed to Dracula doing the “biting”, and suddenly Mina has the power to penetrate a male.
A friend of Mina Harker, Jonathan’s fiancée, develops a strange disease leading to vampire expert Prof. Van Helsing’s statement that Dracula must be caught and ritually killed. Bram Stoker undoubtedly reveals his distinct writing style in Dracula, partly because of his nineteenth century style. Whether the purpose of Dracula was to entertain or not, it was certainly a suspenseful novel. Although the first four diary
Shelley portrays the desire of knowledge as lust which, if left unhindered, can drive a man to peril. Although Frankenstein's initial intentions were to exceed the boundaries of science the over ambitious nature led him to be 'hidden in darkness' and 'locked up from nature' leading the monster to Frankenstein's peril. A feature of the gothic genre is Victor's psychotic nature which emphasizes the dark side of the human psyche in emotional and physical form. Some critics such as Rebecca Wallis have argued that the 'dark Sid elf the human psyche' can be found within victor's sexuality. The point in the novel which this critic focuses on is the moment before intercourse between Victor and Elizabeth when Victor states ' this night is dreadful, very dreadful'.
The Victorians referred to homosexuality as "sexual inversion" (Kindron). In fact, many Victorians held the belief that a sexually inverted man was actually a woman trapped in a man's body (Kindron). Homosexuality emerged in the Victorian period much to the dismay of society. In reading Dracula, it is impossible for one to miss the homosexual tendencies that are present. Before diving too far into the homosexual side of Dracula, it is pertinent for one to understand the heterosexual side of the novel as well.
Stoker’s choose of women as the temptresses may be a warning to the women of the Victorian era to beware about pushing the boundaries of their sexuality. Stoker’s use of structuring emphasizes a women’s role in society at the time, this is the first women that Harker meets in the novel and they are devilish vampires, this implies that the novel appeals to an only male audience and their fantasy of women giving in to their temptations. Harker is simultaneously confronting a vampire and another creature equally terrifying to Victorian England, an unabashedly sexual woman, the evidence for this comes from the implied act of oral sex, ‘The fair girl went on her knees, bent over me, fairly gloating.’ Contextually the fact that Harker becomes the ‘submissive’ and is easily overpowered by their seduction and his own temptation shows the role reversal as women take on the dominating role that a traditional Victorian man is supposed to possess. The fact that Harker is both aroused and disgusted by the Vampires shows the Freudian
Not to say that it would be insurmountable to scheme like Dracula without his monetary possessions, but, if anything, the Count’s success rate would be dwindling without the valuable capital that he utilizes. From the start of the novel, Dracula’s wealth is evident and already proves to be efficacious to his success. Dracula hires Jonathan Harker, a young, minimally Mowatt 2 experienced attorney, to journey to his castle in Transylvania for business-related matters. The Count had “directed [Jonathan] to go to the Golden Krone Hotel” (Stoker 11), where he was expected upon arrival in Bistritz. The next day, “the best place on the coach” (Stoker 12) was reserved for Harker.
There seem to be some common misconceptions, not blaming anyone (cough) TWILIGHT. This is a serious problem. We as vampires used to be formidable and cause humans to tremble in their boots so to speak. Today, they all either want to be us, or fall in love with us! (Establish credibility) I myself have been associated with VAMPIRE since the New York Vampire Riots in 1882.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula It’s very clear to me that Dracula meets the criteria for ‘gothic horror.’ I could give examples of that using all six elements of gothic horror but I’ll use Supernatural, Main Character/Madness, and Evil because I felt they were most important. Supernatural involving otherworldly characters that defy natural laws, Main Character/Madness due to the risk of going mad from the extreme pressures of a threatening situation and evil since there is an atmosphere of fear and dread that evil will prevail over good. The movie starts out in the 15th Century where Dracula a member of the Order of the Dragon is victorious over a battle with the Turks, though many of his men died during battle he prevailed uttering “God be praised! I am victorious!” When Dracula returns from battle his wife, Elizabetta has thought him dead, so she throws herself off her balcony and committing suicide is a horrible sin in Christian faith. It is there that Dracula in a burst of anger stabs the cross, and renounces God and everything pure.
The reason certainly cannot just be because they initiate the feeling of fear; the reason definitely has a deeper meaning than that. Moreover, many people love reading, watching, and talking about vampires because vampires helps generate our inner wants and need that exist within the subconscious mind. To begin the explanation of the underlying desire, it is important to define the meaning of the subconscious. Subconscious in Freudian term is a repository (in human mind) for socially unacceptable ideas, wishes or desires, traumatic memories, and painful emotions put out of mind by the mechanism of psychological repression (Baughman). Since humans are considered to be a socialistic animal, many desires for sex,
Throughout the development of horror cinema – the figure of the ‘vampire’ has changed and progressed dramatically. When thinking of the ‘classic’ figure of the ‘vampire’ – one of the first that comes to the minds of most is none other than Hammers Dracula (Horror of Dracula; 1958). The stereotypical judgments or thoughts towards the ‘classic’ vampire figure – in this case, Dracula – is most notably known to be from Transylvania. He seduces and lures his victims in order to suck blood for survival and also finding pleasure in the process of his kill. Ultimately, Dracula is portrayed as evil, a threat to society and a menace.