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The Novel ' Dracula ' By Bram Stoker

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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

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