‘The role of female vampires in the novel is to warn of the dangers of female sexuality’ consider the presentation of the female vampires in Dracula in the light of this comment Many may argue that the novel Dracula highlights the suppression and belittlement of women during the 19th Century. In Victorian England, women’s sexual behaviour was dictated by society’s rigid expectations. A Victorian woman was either a virgin or else she was a wife and mother. If she was neither of these, she was considered a whore, and thus of no consequence to society This idea is reinforced by Stoker with the contrast of the ‘brilliant white teeth, that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips,’ the virginal white is contrasted with the hellish red of their lips shows the battle the women went through suppressing and hiding their sexual desires. 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.
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.
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.
The main points in Professor Smith's essay are that the female characters are there only to reflect the male characters, and that the Frankenstein family has a weird style of living, which she describes as a "bookkeeping mentality" (Smith 279). Smith begins her essay by looking at the historical factors that may have contributed to this seemingly sexist book. Shelley, writing in the first half of the 19th Century, was in a period in which a woman "was conditioned to think she needed a man's help" (Smith 275). In the novel itself, no women speak directly. The book has three basic narrators: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein's monster.
The film contains strong sexual content, but according to Pirie (2008) does more than parade nudity, rather the film, with its strong rain soaked vegetation, employs a vivid natureous scene, along with, the violent sexual nature of the vampires. The film, was later re-released as Daughters of Dracula, and many similarities can be drawn with the film, Dracula, in terms of its theme and in terms of its props, such as, according to Pirie (2008) the castle like house and the elegant goblets of wine. Within this film, one of the female vampires becomes so obsessed with her partner that she cannot keep her hands off him, aware that with every bite she takes; he becomes weaker and weaker, thus demonstrating the violent sexual nature of the vampire. Indeed, in one scene, another vampire girl is seen literally prising the lifeless figure of her partner from the arms of another vampire, who has drained his body of all
Dracula criticises the conservative nature of the social situation in the Victorian era, as well as the unrefined, superstitious nature of the pre-enlightenment era. An example of this juxtaposition is found in the character of Dr. Van Helsing. Van Helsing’s character juxtaposes the scientific man of the enlightenment era with the superstitious vampire hunter: “We went into the room, taking the [garlic] with us [to keep vampires away]. The Professor’s actions were
The melodramatic events that happen between Dracula, Lucy and Mina can attest to the fact, that the opposite sexes are unequal. Mina and Lucy’s correspondence that was taking place while Jonathan was traveling to Transylvania to work do some work for Dracula; can be perceived as young love of possibly considered naive. What this says to me is that their world view is distorted by their era. These women see England as a safe place and as a seat of power; that England is a safe place. While the rest of the world is poverty stricken countries and they are in British control.
Characters Portrayed in the 19th Century In the 19th century, women had to behave according to very tight social standings. Young women who had no intention to marry or had sex before marrying their future husbands were greatly disapproved and rejected by society and therefore, lived a very unhappy and depressing life. Wives had to take care of the children and always, no matter what, fulfill their husband’s needs. In the novel, Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, the author describes the lives and roles of two very important female characters living during the 19th century. As well, in the short story, The Vampyre, the author, John Polidori, also portrays the tale of a young woman who is eventually punished for not following the social norms.
(Preview Main Points) There are specific issues that I will discuss with you: human’s attitude toward vampirism, their eating habits, and finally their destruction of the planet earth. Main point #1 Humans attitude toward vampirism 1. It has come to a point in which humans no longer fear vampires as the lethal supernaturals that we were once regarded as. No, instead there are books on movies on blogs about vampires falling in love with humans and renouncing their human blood lust. This to me is absolutely preposterous!
Two significant gothic works include Bram Stoker’s infamous story Dracula and Christabel a long narrative poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s. This essay will discuss these texts in relation to specific gothic tropes that surround the female protagonists and how they compare and contrast. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a classic example of gothic tropes in literature; published in 1897 the story is set in England and Eastern Europe. The main female protagonist character Miss Mina Murray/Harker is a young meek schoolmistress who marries the male protagonist and both are victimized by Count Dracula. Miss Lucy Westenra is Mina’s best friend and subsequently opposite in characteristics; she is a vivacious young woman who becomes Dracula’s first victim.