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.
Vampire stories have captured the imagination of people for centuries, and the portrayal of these supernatural beings has undergone a significant transformation over time. From Bram Stoker's Dracula to the popular TV show The Vampire Diaries, vampire stories have been used to tell us about humanity and society, and they provide a window into our deepest fears, desires, and beliefs. Most importantly the change in the portrayal of vampires over the centuries, emphasizes society’s evolving understanding of the complexity of human nature and our rejection of simplistic binaries of good and evil. Vampire stories have evolved from simplistic portrayals of pure evil to more nuanced and complex depictions of these supernatural beings.
These vampires encompass one of the major sub-themes of the Novel - sex. This topic was considered rude to discuss in public and could only be propagated through the medium of writing. These vampires are portrayed as “air, as fair as can be, with great masses of golden hair and eyes like pale sapphires. (!!!) ”
Towards the end of the ninetieth century there was a strong Gothic revival with the publication of novels such as Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan Le Fanu, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) by Oscar Wilde, Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker, etc... Vampires instigated terror among the readers in Le Fanu and Stoker's books. The trend started by Polidori with its seductive vampire was imitated with the female vampire Carmilla and the popular figure of Count Dracula. These nightly and cursed creatures represented society's deepest fear: the otherness. Outsiders landed at the readers' home lands to start a massacre praying on young ladies and what was even more outrageous, also men
The major theme in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker is the threat of female sexual expression. During this time period, female sexual behavior was frowned upon. Women were said to have to be either a virgin or a wife and mother. Social standards were very strict during this time, making it unheard of for women to show sexual expressions. In is era, the main concern was the role women had in society.
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.
Doubtless he created a model for the classical vampire which was developed by the ages. In 21st century Stephanie Meyer composed a romantic book using modificated vamp creatures. Mixture of classical personality of the villain and born in her dream figures of perfection. Described earlier differences present how vampires changed during time. In spite of all I cannot deny both ‘Dracula’ and ‘Twilight’ turned out to be World phenomenon.
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
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
Brett Warren Vampiric Romance in Classical Literature A psychological analysis of manipulation, deceit and control I invite the reader to apply this knowledge to their own situations or occurrences of their life as it may be easier to catch either oneself or another in the very act of manipulation. A common theme in classical vampire fictional lore, of which is passively portrayed in the stories of Carmilla, Dracula, and various others, is how vampires manipulate their victims through strategic methods of calculated indoctrination.
Fifty years later, Sheridan Le Fanu gave the world its first favorite female vampire in Carmilla, which he published in 1872. In Carmilla, a young woman falls prey to a vampire in an isolated castle. Sound familiar? Scholars have noted many similarities between Carmilla and Bram Stoker 's vampire masterpiece, Dracula, which followed twenty-five years later. By the time Dracula was published, the reading public was steeped in vampire tales.
The four pieces of literature to be compared in this comparison are Dracula by Bram Stoker, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) by Francis Ford Coppola, Nosferatu (1922) by F.W. Murnau, and Dracula (1931) by Tod Browning. In these works of fiction, there are answers to what it would have felt like to be a vampire, what it would have felt like to have a vampire in one’s life,
It’s A Man’s World Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a highly controversial work of fiction. Bram Stoker’s Dracula touches on many different categories of literature which is why it can be analyzed in many different ways using an assortment of different criticisms. Throughout this piece, however, it is only focused on the patriarchal society and how women are portrayed throughout, leading to the expectations of women during this time period. Amongst this novel a feminist approach comes into play, but cannot be used to analyze Dracula as a whole but, more so to analyze multiple female characters. Bram’s stoker’s
Dracula, originally published in Great Britain by Abraham Stoker in 1897, set the defining characteristics of a vampire. Through the folk lore of undead beings that caused mischief to the areas where they once lived, the ruddy, pale, dark, blood sucking vampire of the gothic period, and vampires that sparkle in the sunlight, the vampire has made it through many renditions in history. Though vampire lore and folk tales existed prior to Stoker's novel, it was never expressed or gained much popularity though other works. Bram Stoker establishes the classic characteristics of a vampire in his novel Dracula that has formed a new genre and shaped the idea of a vampire throughout history.
Sexual Tendencies : Sex in “Dracula” Sometimes you can be sexually attracted to someone for their appearance or just by the way they make you feel at that moment . When sex is present in literature , nothing can separate reality from the spicy imagination that makes you keep reading and interested . As for Bram Stoker’s chapter book , “Dracula”, the three main characters Jonathan Harker , his fiance Mina Harker and her best friend Lucy Westerna , have life incidents that fall into the category of sex .
