The book Dracula by Abraham Stoker is filled with many intriguing topics and themes such as sexuality and gender. These topics and the way they are addressed in the book were very controversial when published on May 26, 1897 and were seen as scandalous by its readers. Through this book, Bram Stoker made the idea of vampires become a relevant part of popular culture as it is today and allowed them to be interpreted as figures symbolizing sex and the transference of disease. During Stoker 's era, women were looked down upon and were accused of being immoral for having sex outside of marriage and contracting any sexual diseases. These “women who lose their virtue(virginity) become ‘fallen women,’ outcasts doomed to death or secluded repentance”(Fry). Though these acts generally involve male participation, it is mainly the woman who must deal with the consequences, while the man is able to be free of judgement and continue his life. “The patriarchal tendencies and views of the Victorian society further enforced male superiority and dominance over women”(Podonsky). This being said, the question is, how did some of this prejudice against women translate into the writing of Stoker 's work Dracula and what did Stoker think of his society 's description of an “ideal” woman? The answer to this question is that the thoughts held by the majority about women made their way into the book Dracula in a very satirical manner and the hopeful mind of Abraham Stoker refused to believe that
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a horror story about a hero’s quest to rid the world of vampires from the Victorian era. Readers are horrified by his graphic descriptions and horrifying struggles. However, Dracula is much more than just a vampire fantasy; in this novel, Bram Stoker explores the unconscious sexual desires repressed during the Victorian era and the controversy surrounding sexuality.
Vampires have been around for centuries, they represent the fear of many things such as sexuality, race, gender, etc. and above all, they stand for the fear of diseases. Vampires have once been the symbol of horror due to their terrific depictions and were described as a threat to the humanity. Throughout time, the image of vampire has changed dramatically from a monstrous, inhumanely creature that doesn’t belong to human society to such an attractive and adaptive figure that expresses more of the human side than the evil. They developed human feelings, senses, and live within our society. Modern vampire movies are often more romantic and “sympathetic” comparing to the past. Vampires have abandoned their horror and evolved to a more
The novel, Dracula, was written by Bram Stoker in the late eighteen hundreds. The setting of Dracula is during the end of the nineteenth century, in England and Eastern Europe. The entirety of the novel is based on a vampire with heinous intentions that he casts upon a group of English citizens whom decide to rid the town of his evil. While reading the novel it is apparent that the genre is horror and gothic and that the tone is very dark and dramatic. Bram Stoker does this in a very intentional way. Therefore, discovering the ways Stoker implements Dracula into the criteria of the gothic fiction genre is simple.
After decades of cheesy horror movies, the image of vampires has been misconstrued as sparkly, angsty teenage boys or handsome men that lure in girls for the fresh blood of a virgin. Many of these stereotypical vampires are influenced by the story of Dracula, held in the Victorian era. Yet, many of the stories published about vampires diverge from the message that Bram Stoker is trying to make. During the Victorian period, sexuality is repressed by society, as sexual behaviors from women are viewed as unacceptable. In the Gothic horror novel Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the traumatic experience of Jonathan Harker at Count Dracula’s castle and the invasion of vampires in Great Britain to create a social commentary on the sexual repression occurring in this era and its detrimental effect on the men.
In the 19th century, this basis of scary and thriller books started to emerge. This essay will be about who Dracula enticed women, how his detainer was unsettling and demonic. How the era in which the novel was written plays a part in the ideas of Dracula and how behaves; with such things as women, food, and Harker. The Victorian era definitely influenced the writing of the time through reflections of exploitation of women and a certain darkness in ones self, also explains of mystery and suspense.
The story of Dracula is well documented and has stood the test of time since it’s Victorian age creation. More times than not, literature writings are a reflection of the era from which they are produced. In the case of Dracula, Vampire literature expresses the fears of a society. Which leads me to the topic I chose to review: sexuality. The Victorian Era was viewed as a period diluted in intense sexual repression and I believe that Dracula effectively exploited this as the fear of sexuality was commonplace in the society. In this paper I will examine Bram Stoker’s Dracula and highlight his use of sexuality. I will analysis the female sexuality that is prevalent throughout the book, the complexities are at work within the text, and the
Women are regarded as being second to man in the society, and this is significantly challenged by the modern woman. She believes in enjoying equal rights as those of men, and they demand inclusion in every matter whether political, scientific or military. In the novel Dracula by Stoker, the cultural difference between men and women is drawn by the characters used in the Victorian era. Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula in the 19th century, and it was composed in the style of letters, newspaper articles, journal entries and telegrams to convey a realistic story to the reader. The major theme found in the novel is gender roles in the 19th century, primarily referred to as the Victorian Era. During this period, women struggled to attain gender equality through challenging traditional roles that defined them. These women, as perceived in the novel, do not want to be domestic and act as caretakers of their children, nor obey the demands of their husbands but to remain impassive (Kunz 34). The women strived to become a modern woman, who is liberated, intelligent and who can openly express her ideas without fear of intimidation. Throughout the novel, Stoker portrays females as being inferior to men, as seen from the characteristics of Dracula’s victims; showing that gender roles in patriarchal societies are strict and restrict both women and men with the ladies being viewed as the distressed gender while the male is expected to be heroes who should be dependent upon.
on the place; this makes us feel anxious to find out where he is going
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dracula is representative of the superhuman ideal that man is striving to achieve. Dracula is a strong willed, powerful, brilliant masculine figure, and through these characteristics, he appeals to the contemporary reader. By the late 20th and early 21st century, vampires have been transformed into creatures that offer endless happiness and immortality on earth. Such a transformation can be seen in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Instead of viewing the Faustian dream of endless self-gratification and fulfillment as potentially evil, popular culture depicts these satanic creatures as morally justified, and actually good.
There’s a reason why Bram Stoker’s Dracula is arguably one of the greatest gothic novels of all time, and Michael Pink’s readaptation of the classic certainly does not disappoint. Pink’s Dracula, performed by the Colorado Ballet on Sunday, October 15, 2017, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Center for the Performing Arts with music composed by Philip Feeney left me feeling spooked and desperately wanting more. Prevailing themes of rising tension, suspense, and terror made for an intriguing experience that was executed beautifully by a talented cast and crew. The effortless blend of horror and romance is captivating and offers a range of elements each individual audience member can appreciate.
Have you ever wondered why women are the way they are today? Well, Dracula takes a very good look at how women were once treated and hints at what they will evolve into. Dracula takes place during the Victorian Era where women were considered less than men. Dracula was written back in 1897 and contains Religious references that aid the main characters to subdue the cruel vampire known as Dracula. During the Victorian Era women were stay at home wives and their only job was to have children and to tidy up the house. They were devoted to their husband and everything they did was to benefit their husband. Women were viewed as fragile creatures that should not be involved in anything dangerous. However, some of these women, such as the three vampire sisters, are very dangerous, capable of killing children so that they may live longer, which contradicts the thought that women are fragile and need protecting. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula the role of Victorian women in England have continuously evolved into what women are today.
In the 1897 novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, a vampire named Count Dracula is brought about and brung into the “real world”. Many stories, books, movies, and games have developed from this novel. In the novel, Dracula has a lot of myths attached to him. These myths are what make him a vampire, and so when other people come up with these new stories or books or movies, they also implement myths into their characters to give them life as a vampire. In every story, most of the characters are considered either “bad” and “evil” or “good” and “friendly”. These labels are based on the characters actions, thoughts (when possible), and personality traits. In Dracula, Count Dracula would primarily be classified as the antagonist and evil. As previously mentioned, this is based on the fact that he made evil decisions, and had very bad qualities about him. However, in Twilight, Edward is a much more difficult character to label. Him and the Count have many similarities, however they are also much different.
In Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Stoker’s use of inverted gender roles allows readers to grasp the sense of obscureness throughout, eventually leading to the reader’s realization that these characters are rather similar to the “monster” which they call Dracula. Despite being in the Victorian era, Stoker’s use of sexuality in the novel contributes to the reasoning of obscureness going against the Victorian morals and values. Throughout the novel the stereotypical roles of the Victorian man and woman are inverted to draw attention to the similarities between Dracula and the characters. Vague to a majority of readers, Bram Stoker uses Dracula as a negative connotation on society being that the values of
Evil never conquers because good always overcomes it. A good example of this is the book Dracula by Bram Stoker because the author expresses the nature of good vs. evil. Dracula wants to come to London because he wants to turn everyone into vampires. The basic background of the book Dracula is when Jonathan Harker, a realtor who is sent to Transylvania to complete a transaction with Dracula so he can come to England. What Harker does not know is that Dracula has a plan for world domination. Well, while Harker is on a train to Transylvania he enters “the east, a section of Europe whose peoples and customs will be for the most part, strange and unfamiliar” (Dracula, 20). Harker arrives at Bistritz on the eve of St. George’s Day,
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