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Essay On Gender Roles In Dracula

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Women Who Defy the Time: Gender Roles in Dracula Abstract This study aims to focus on the feminist characteristics of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) and discuss the Victorian viewpoint towards women in the novel. When Dracula is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is a romance that is full of supernatural elements. However, one of the main problems within this period was the position of women and their social position in public. Women were expected to be meek and obedient and they had to remain under the full dependence of the men. Marriage is like a social contract among the couples. Men were demanding some qualities from women, for example, being chaste and pure. Such qualities glorified the women’s reputation. Dracula is a book about …show more content…

Third wave feminists believe that it is a woman's right to decide how she wants to live. Kimberle Crenshaw, in 2014 introduced the term “intersectionality” in her very famous book On Intersectionality: The Essential Writings. She stands out against inequalities based on gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability, and ethnicity. Since the fourth wave of feminism is more about the movement's ongoing expansion than it is about any significant transition, some believe that we are still in the third wave of the movement. The third wave expands on the inclusivity-focused mindsets, and puts challenging inquiries regarding the true meanings of liberty, fairness, equality, and self-determination. Human minds have evolved to recognize and classify objects that they come across as a way to make connections with the world around them. Biological assumptions could lead to prejudice against particular individuals, which possibly leads to huge gaps between different groups as it appears biases against sexes. Gender biases first come from the natural capabilities of the body and brain, and norms that are set by the dominant …show more content…

2018 June 28. https://www.womensleadershiptoday.com/a-brief-history-the-four-waves-of-feminism/ Butler, J. d. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge. The. Crenshaw, K. (2014). The 'Standard'. On Intersectionality: Essential Writings. Feminist Literary Criticism. (2019) The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon The New York Public Library. https://www.nypl.org/node/5672 https://www.history.com/news/victorian-era-fashion-trends Kimmel, M. S., & Aronson, A. (2017). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon The gendered society reader. Oxford University Press. Stoker, B., & Rice, C. (2000). Dracula. The. Wordsworth Editions

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Throughout the Victorian era, probably one of the biggest worries was the role of women in society. In “Dracula”, Bram Stoker makes most of the women in his story as very sexual and some as pure. The pure women in society were liked and the impure were considered evil and tempting. Throughout the story, Mina is the perfect fit for the “angel of the house” by remaining smart and loyal and she is seen as heroic and strong in the end because of it. Mina’s relationship with Harker represents the traditional part in society that women should play in the Victorian age.

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Women are expected to be pure, obedient, sweet, and emotional. However, the female vampire is the complete opposite. For example, the three sisters are seducing Harker which is unexpected from a woman, as it is a “sexuality, aggression, and bestial behavior” as described by Senf. In the nineteenth century this kind of action is improper and abnormal. It is shocking to the men in the novel to the point they feel “sexually attractive woman is dangerous is reinforced” (page 2).

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In Dracula, Bram Stoker discusses societal expectations of woman through the development of female characters. Mina is characterized as an attractive, pure, and intelligent woman that adheres to the societal expectations of women during the Victorian era. Living in the Victorian Era, women did not continue their primary education like men do, instead they performed house duties and took care of children. Mina exhibits a new role of woman. In Dracula, Mina is portrayed as a well educated.

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In Dracula, Bram Stoker makes a contrast between two types of women in this novel. Women who are in the vampire state are vastly more powerful than the everyday human woman, but seem to still be subordinate. Towards the end of late 19th Century, the new woman develops toward the economic change as well as the sexual changes in society, with both men and women struggling to find a sense of this new order. The new woman was strong, finding a sense of independence and men were beginning to become terrified of their own woman. Stoker explains his idea behind the characters of the women in Dracula, he believes that “for women to deny their traditional role was to deny their womanhood, to challenge the distinctions between women and men upon which

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Feminist Reading: Dracula between Beauvoir’s and Roth’s Ideas In her article, “Suddenly Sexual Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula” Phyllis Roth argues that Dracula is a misogynistic novel which is obvious in the system of power in which men are dominant and active figures whereas women are just followers and obedient to their system. She draws on Simon de Beauvoir’s idea that “ambivalence as an intrinsic quality of Eternal Feminine”, in order to show that women are victims to men powers. In her chapter, “Myth and Reality”, Beauvoir discusses the way that anybody in the society, specially men, doesn’t do their job in taking a step towards the oppressed women, but to act just like what the system of myth impose them to act.

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When we think about gothic fiction it is hard not to think about Dracula, a renowned novel written by Irish author Bram Stoker. It was published in 1897 and has set the foundation of the vampire villain character, which is still popular today. Although our current popular culture altered vampire-fiction immensely, Bram Stoker’s Dracula still remains the most popular vampire-fiction novel there is. The plot is set in the late nineteen century and we can say it is written in epistolary form, as a collection of letters and journals of the main characters.

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The horror genre of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, combined with mild eroticism is able to draw in readers due to the fact that Stoker is able to intricately weave suspenseful sexual scenes/scenes of desire throughout the novel—making it clear that

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At first glance, the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker appears to be a typical gothic horror novel set in the late 1890s that gives readers an exciting look into the fight between good and evil. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that Dracula is a statement piece about gender roles and expectations for men and women during the Victorian age. Looking at the personalities, actions, and character development of each of the characters in Dracula bring to light startling revelations about Victorian society and how Stoker viewed the roles of men and women during this time period. To really understand Dracula, it is important to note that this novel was written during a time “of political and social upheaval, with anxieties not just about the

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The novel containing the most famous vampire that has ever existed is a product of its time. It contains elements of Victorian ideas on sexuality, the height of commercial and military expansion, Victorian medical practices, the struggle between science and religion, and the relationship between Bram Stoker and Henry Irving. Even though the classic story may be a part of its time the story of Dracula lives on even today because according to Thomas Foster a work “…that thinks about human problems, including those in the social and political realm, that addresses the rights of persons and the wrongs of those in power-…” (Foster, 117). In 2010, a modernized version of the classic tale called iDrakula by Bekka Black exists.

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Why dose Dracula only drink the blood of women? there is a lot of danger in a women sexuality in the book Dracula by Bram Stoker. Which is why I pick this as the theme of the book Dracula other big part of the book Dracula is the conflict. I believe that the conflict in this book that is the easier to see is men vs his owe fears. now I’m going to tell you a little about the book

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Vampires have been used in literature and theater to invoke fear in an audience. They have been portrayed in a wide variety of ways, such as cunning, beautiful creatures that can tempt even the most pious person or a mutant, animalistic creature that has no thoughts beyond its next meal. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was written in 1897, London during a time where fear of societal progression, feminism, and scientific expansion were common themes in British culture (Stoker). Count Dracula is a savage and smart predator that takes calculated measures to get his prey and enact revenge.

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An Analysis of the Unvoiced Villain and Sex Undertones in Dracula Most readings of Dracula have covered an emphasis on the theme of sexuality, about homoeroticism, blood-transmitted disease, new women of the Victorian era, and perverse sexual practices. These subjects at the repressed Victoria era, as well as sexuality, were considered to be unspeakable in the public sphere. Women were required to be faithful to men; and sex between men was illegal. Yet Stoker’s text serves more than bringing up the taboo of discussing sexuality at that time.

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Trinity Lam ENG 1302 Professor Loubser May 3, 2023 Dracula and the Anxieties of Victorian Culture Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, explores Victorian anxieties prevalent during the era that the book was written in. In contrast to Western uniformity, the cultural norms in England at the time were outmoded and constrictive; old and conservative values were highly respected and frequently connected with modesty and purity. With the Protestant ideals of Victorian society largely influencing the narrative, Stoker's work tackles the tension between yielding to one's desires and fighting them. Feminist Criticism is a School of Literary Criticism that refers to the masculine language used to subsume the role of women and construct a representation of

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Additionally, Stoker added culturally sensitive topics that tied into his work, creating his own setting and visuals to match. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a classic literary work that focuses on the state of being human, and looks through the lens of gender, specifically

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During the Victorian period in which Dracula was written, morals and ethics were often strictly enforced. Some of the morals that were upheld had to do with personal duty, hard work, honesty, as well as sexual proprietary. It was very important during this period that one was proper in their sexual behaviors and conventional in whom they had sexual relations with. However, during this period, many authors sought to challenge the ‘norm’ with ideas of reform and change and Bram Stoker was no exception to this. In his novel, Dracula, Stoker provides a critique of this rigidity in his portrayal of Dracula and Dracula’s relationship with Jonathan Harker.

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