‘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.
It is this very brain, which is ultimately used to aid in Dracula’s downfall. Lucy, on the other hand, is presented as the temptress at the very start of the novel. Stoker presents her as exhibiting personality traits potentially dangerous in women. She is ever the tease, falling into the traditional female role more than Mina ever did. Her vanity
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.
Most analyses of this piece have been from prominent feminists, who targeted the patriarchal structure of the society in the 19th century as the major cause of insanity of the narrator. Some of the most extreme feminist critics have even stepped further to claim that the narrator is initially not ill at all, hinting that the societal bonds of marriage imprisoned and twisted the mind of the poor narrator. Though this claim has not yet been verified, there are indeed several conspicuous signs that showcased societal imprisonment of women in The Yellow Wallpaper. For example, John’s overconfidence of his own medical knowledge led to his misjudgment of the narrator’s condition; whereas societal norms seem to force the narrator to believe in that misjudgment: “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do? (1.10)” And under these torturing social rules,[change] the narrator, as a women and a wife, has no control over the pettiest details of her life, and she can do nothing for herself except from asking help from men, who dictates her life: “My brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing” (1.11) And it is obvious that the chauvinistic ideas during
“A bit about taking a bite out of Dracula” In the classic novel about Dracula, there are distinct differences between men and women and their roles in society. In this late Victorian-era, these distinctions are a commonplace idea. In this society it is dominated by males, who are seen as the providers and the women are the caretakers of home and hearth. The marked differences between men and women in this era are significant to this story. The melodramatic events that happen between Dracula, Lucy and Mina can attest to the fact, that the opposite sexes are unequal.
To what extent does Angela Carter draw on the Gothic tradition in her representation of female characters in The Bloody Chamber and what is the significance of these representations? Angela Carter uses gothic tradition and conventions in her depiction of female characters in The Bloody Chamber in order to break down stereotypes and patriarchal expectations; she recreates traditional gothic tales into ones which are both eerie and shocking for her modern readers, in the same way that old gothic tales were to Victorian readers. Carter’s female victims come to be empowered by embracing their passions and work to go against patriarchal rule, acknowledging their own sexual desires. Female characters can be presented as victims of male tyranny in The Bloody Chamber. Within The Bloody Chamber, the protagonist brings about the attention of female sexuality to the reader through the loss of her innocence “I remember how…country of marriage” she is experiencing a journey from her innocence and individuality to being the possession of a man.
2 Feb. 2009 <http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/11/21/2008-11-21_on_the_eve_of_twilight_why_women_find_va.html>. There are four top reasons why women find vampires sexy. Joanne Detore-Nakamura, a professor of a literary film and monster class at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says, “The vampire represents the quintessential bad boy.” She also says that people are drawn to things they fear, like roller coasters and scary movies. There is a type of thrill
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
Stereotypical Femme Fatale as Depicted in Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret The issue regarding how woman is portrayed in literary works such as novel, poetry, or drama has been becoming one of the most interesting topics to be discussed until today. Each work represents its period and how society in that period in seeing woman. Victorian literature has its own way in representing woman. Some of the stereotypical gender roles we can easily found in many Victorian literatures are the portrayal of women as the angel in the house and the fallen angel. The angel in the house is the perfect helpmate as it was presented in Charles Dickens' Agnes Wickfield (David Copperfield) or Esther Summerson (Bleak House).
Mental illness is a concept that has been manipulated by religious, cultural, social and even scientific aspects and for centuries, the representation of women linked to the struggles and symptoms of mental illness has led to a proposition that women are weak and unstable. As a result of the ‘women’s movement’ of the 1960s, feminist literary criticism is stronger now than ever before. This movement was a retaliation to the idea of a ‘perfect woman’; a woman lacking goals and aspirations who was primarily focused on housework and her husband, that was being promulgated across the globe by literature, thus confronting and annihilating this backwards concept. It can be argued that Sylvia Plath was a feminist writer and this is prominent in ‘The Bell Jar’ as it is a novel that reflects the gender roles in the 1950’s and addresses the feminist issues of power, the search of identity and double standards. As the protagonist was growing up, remaining a virgin until after marriage was a rule that was constantly pushed into Esther’s mind, leaving her convinced that the same rule applied to men.