Gender Roles In Dracula

"These writers explore both the social roles that confine them and the bodies that represent the confinement". In light of this quotation, compare how the writers explore gender.

The American literary canon presents a one sided view of women, due to the dominance of male authors. Classic American books generally present images of women in a male-centered viewpoint, creating a biased representation of women in literature. In “Feminist Literary Criticism: From Anti-Patriarchy to Decadence,” Anne Barbeau Gardiner states that the American literary canon is “strikingly narrow…prepared by white men whose judgment was prejudiced and whose language was full of gendered meanings.” (Gardiner 395). Gardiner

Analyzing the ways in which a piece of literature includes feminist ideologies can bring out the potential messages that the creators of these productions were attempting to portray, while allowing the reader to critique the literature from a feminist perspective.

How do the works of Yasumasa Morimura, Julie Rrap and Anne Zahalka challenge conventional ways in which gender has been depicted historically in the visual arts?

Sticking true to the Vicortain setting of his novel, Bram Stoker ensures that gender and gendered behavior is well defined throughout his novel Dracula. He explicitly genders the characterizations of his characters; however, most of them do not portray characteristics exclusively associated with their gender. In order to highlight such complexities, Stoker must acknowledge prevailing thoughts on gendered behavior. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, masculinity is associated with “strength...vigor…[and] power” ("masculine, adj. and n."). Contrastingly, the feminine is seen as “delica[te]” ("feminine, adj. and n.") and emotional. One of the strongest characterististics of either masculine or feminine behavior is that it is “often contrasted with a corresponding object deemed to be” ("feminine, adj. and n.") of the opposite gender. It is this strong contrast that Stoker’s portrayal of characters with a mixture of a traits a bold choice. Stoker’s portrayal of Dracula as the epitome of traditional masculinity casts negative light on the masculine archetype; when this villain is

We’ve studied three fictional novels throughout this course, all of them having to do with plague or epidemic. These books all fits into the genre of dystopian. One of the themes that seemed prominent throughout all three books were the roles of the female protagonist or antagonist or the male counterpart of it. In Matheson’s book, I am Legend. The protagonist is a masculine man named Robert Neville, he is the last surviving human on the planet, living with only vampires around him until he meets what presumably is another human that is a feminine character. We find out later she is the reason he meets his demise. In contrast, James’ novel The Children of Men, the female character of Julian plays a huge role in saving humanity from the health crises they are facing in their world. The role of gender plays a huge part in these two works of literature, the health of both genders in both books determine the outcome, Julian being healthy, and Neville being able to survive by himself, they both represent an exceptional idea of masculinity and femininity. But the meaning of gender changes because of the epidemic of crises they are facing, for Neville’s case seeing a woman for the first time in three years, or Julian being pregnant, these changes the importance of gender.

For example, after Lucy’s conversion, she proves herself to be just as able as Dracula to steal and feed on infants in the dead of night, in a reasonably discrete fashion. Through this, Stoker could be implying that he is satisfactorily aware of perceived stereotypes regarding women, but is choosing to contend with popular opinion by

In Victorian England, the feminist movement began to rise at an almost exponential rate. Women started to have their voices heard and even had many of their causes argued for by some men. Among these men was a lecturer by the name of Bram Stoker. Stoker spent years lecturing on and arguing for feminist causes at the Philosophical Society. That is until the “New Woman” came about. The New Woman was considered to be a new breed of woman, one that was almost inhuman or mutated, hence the name. They believed in sexual freedom, the blurring of the distinction between the genders, and their right to choose their path of life even when it went against what a man wished. Stoker then claimed that these ideals were wrong and stated it very clearly

Society has many different views on the way that men influence a woman’s vulnerability. Individuals who lived in the 1800’s particularly, had a certain image that they sought to reflect, which is evident in the novel Dracula. Dracula by Bram Stoker showcases the superior role that men had over women in the Victorian era because they are illustrated as being dominant and controlling.

Women writers, this is to say, have been treated differently from men because they were women; and this has affected how they developed.

and its definition in society. They bring forth the idea that gender is a result of actions and

Gender references always surface, not only simply because they exist, but because there has always been a struggle for equality or at least purpose and meaning in their roles. An overview and gender study of many types of literature from many eras of time help us to see the interactions, and,

In recent years there has been one topic that has been pulled to the forefront of the literary world. That topic is the debate over whether or not a persons gender can be determined by their writing. There have been several studies done to determine whether or not this can be done. These studies have led to a number of tests and websites that are said to be able to determine whether or not there is a noticeable gap or difference in the styles that have been presented by authors of different genders. With the rise of these types of things there has also inevitably been a number of problems that go hand in hand with them. The question of whether or not these

“ You cannot talk about genre without talking about gender.” Initially, this would appear to be a simplistic statement. On closer analysis, however, one fact becomes evident. It is the representation of gender which informs the genre of the text. Ismay Barwell , in her essay ‘ Feminist perspectives and narrative points of view’ states that “ Every text is gendered since every act of narration…..involves a process of selection….and the nature of that selection implies certain values” ( p.99). She makes the point that “ The desires, attitudes and interests which guide any choices made must be either male or female”( p.98 ). It is within this frame of reference, that the two texts will be analysed.

Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, published in 1897, explores various sexual erotic possibilities in the vampire's embrace, as discussed by Leonard Wolf. The novel confronts Victorian fears of homosexuality; that were current at the time due to the trial of playwright Oscar Wilde. The vampire's embrace could also be interpreted as an illustration of Victorian fears of the changing role of women. Therefore it is important to consider: the historical context of the novel; the Victorian notion of the `New Woman' specifically the character of Lucy Westenra; the inversion of gender roles; notions of sexuality; and the emasculation of men, by lessening their power over women; in the novel Dracula. In doing this I will be able to explore the effects