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Masculinity In Dracula

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1. Introduction
For most people the word vampire is connected to blood-drinking creatures that wander through the night and hunt down defenceless victims in order to drain their blood. Many might have monstrous figures in mind that come straight out of horror films, or maybe some others imagine a romanticised version, i.e., the protagonist Edward Cullen, from Twilight. In sum, for the majority, vampires represent blood sucking creatures that exist in fantasy, horror, and romance, but are left to be in fictional realms of literature and movies. Vampires are far more than fictional characters in films, or books, they represent “metaphors about life and death, sexuality and gender, cultural identities, and even political ideologies” (Hobson and Anyiwo 1). Every depiction of vampires investigates messages …show more content…

Moreover, this is detectable in many, or maybe all languages today and in past ages. Hence, regarding the usage and etymology of masculine, it is clear that it is deeply connected to the concept of gender (Martin and Finn 1). Furthermore, masculinity comprises languages, behaviors, and practices that exist in certain organizational and cultural locations, which are normally identified with males. Therefore, masculinity exists as a positive, “in as much as they offer some means of identity signification for males,” as well as a negative, “in as much as they are not the ‘Other’ (Feminine)” (Itulua-Abumere 42). According to Prof. Clatterbaugh and Dr. Whitehead, male behaviors and masculinity are not just a simple product of biological predispositions or genetic coding. All societies around the world have the cultural concept of gender, but some of them do not have the idea of masculinity. The modern usage of masculinity usually describes the behaviors that result from the

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Over the years, monsters have changed from beasts to humanoid creatures in order to teach humanity to avoid certain thoughts, actions, behaviors and even people. About twenty years ago, before Twilight and the modern version of Dracula played by Orlando Bloom, vampires were always depicted as the evils of society and commonly represented as the lower chains of the social class that acted as parasites to the upper and middle classes. According to Lane’s article, “There Goes the Neighborhood,” she explains how a book written in the mid-1950’s called I Am Legend, depicts the vampires in the story as the low-class colored people of society. Because of the lower class being represented as the evil monsters of society, they were resented and discriminated against. But recently, vampires are now categorized as the rich and white upper-class people.

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The tone of this essay is informative, offering readers an explanation regarding the historical development of vampires. Belmont draws upon historical references and Greek mythology to support his claims. For example, “Specifically, it began with the sun god Apollo (Greek mythology) , who in a fit of rage cursed Ambrogio so that his skin would burn should it ever touch sunlight again”

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In Bram Stoker’s, “Dracula”, the novel shows many examples of its characters both subverting and reinforcing the traditional gender roles of the victorian age. During this time period, a very cliched version of gender roles is portrayed. The subversions shown throughout the novel were very scary in a way to the audience of the Victorian time. This was due to the very uptight culture of people during this time and the very unconventional actions performed during the novel. Many characters show these subversions through their personality, but also through their actions.

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Modern day vampires symbolizes romance because in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, he is described as seductive and tempting. Dracula only wanted one thing and one thing only, that being food! Vampires also symbolize blood. Blood is what most people think of when they hear the word “vampire”. “Blood stands for life”, according to Robert L. Johnson (www.jungian.info).

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Vampires are a classic and incredibly versatile kind of monster across all kinds of media, certainly not just limited to videogames. A big part of that undoubtedly stems from how many cultures around the world have variations on the vampire present in their folklore – usually in the form of some sort of otherworldly something that swoops in and saps the life force of humans and/or animals before slipping off into the night when they've finished. Sometimes these beings are little more than monstrous animals, sometimes they're overdramatic goth fashion plates, and sometimes they're just regular people who like to chill out with a bloody mary every now and then. You can find a pretty diverse range of vampires in games of course. Maybe too diverse,

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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 vampire has often seen or portrays as a stereotype which is an evil and blood-sucking monster. However, not all vampires are evil they fell in curse like a disease where they could not get out. They are not to be blamed for just like humans need food they need blood for the survival. Even though vampires are shown as the monster they still have emotion and feelings towards their loved ones. Love does not discriminate anyone it is felt by every creature on this earth.

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Vampires is a popular creature as they tend to have a lot of sex appeal. They are known as seductive, irresistible, and have strong sexual desire. “Inhuman” is a term that many authors tend to use to describe the beauty of vampires. The look of a vampire is the look that many humans wish they have it. Because vampires have such incredible look, they instantly become the center of attention and fascination everywhere they go.

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The legends of the vampire and the zombie began with in the imaginations of writers and has continued into present times taking on different shapes and characterizations, but the basis is still the same. “John William Polidori stitched together folklore, personal resentment and erotic anxieties into “The Vampyre,” a story that is the basis for vampires as they are understood today”

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What would it be like to be a vampire? What would it be like to have a vampire in one’s life? What were the vampires of folklore like? These topics will be reviewed throughout this essay by comparing four of the vampire books and movies. All the vampire movies have some similarities and differences but four literature pieces in particular will be gone through in this comparison.

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A good answer is given by Carol A. Senf in his book The Vampire in the 19th Century English Literature where he notes that such beliefs go far beyond the place itself, and that “the vampire was simply one more example of a mysterious subject that appealed” (1988: 21) by virtue of its Orientalism. As he explains it Dracula symbolized an idea of the sensational that attracted the reader, and not the essence of Transylvania or its historical richness. Nevertheless, fundamental in Dracula are the constant journeys that the characters undertake: across Europe, in between cities, across provinces or from America. All these journeys have a fundamental aspect in common: they all start from or finish in the capital city of the largest empire of the world in the nineteenth century: London. This city represents one of the key locations that the author uses for the development of the plot because of the importance it had at that moment.

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They are creatures that exist outside of our normal experience, and they possess a kind of otherworldly allure that is difficult to resist. Additionally, vampires are often depicted as having a rich and complex history, which adds to their sense of mystique. From ancient legends

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The earlier gothic works as well as Dracula covered something that is outside the social norm. Female sexuality, something that was unacceptable and under the surface of society, it is exposed in these writings. The earlier readings such as Carmilla, as well as the poem of Christabel question the boundaries. The texts from these literature pieces contain passages of female sexuality and the passages contain phrases that hint towards the social taboos. In the era when women were thought of mere objects these pieces decide to give them a personality or at least a voice that can express desire, a voice that states women have a purpose apart from pleasing men.

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Vampires! A common creature that commonly occurs throughout pop culture is the ever-changing vampire. Vampires are the blood sucking, night-dwelling creatures, that have been dominating pop culture as we know it for more than 100 years, with folklore on vampires dating back thousands of years. Due to cultural shifts, and the advancement of cinematography the vampire as we know it has changed tremendously. From Bela Lugosi as the legendary Dracula in 1931, all the way to Eddie Murphy as the not so legendary Maximillian in Vampire in Brooklyn in 1995.

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Also they do not sleep in the coffin or burn in the sunlight. 'Twilight ' blood suckers do not sleep, in the sunlight they shine like diamonds. These characters seem to be normal forever young teens with bizarre feeding habits. In the same time Dracula is presented with some super powers as hypnosis, telepathy, shape shifting (when he changed into a wolf) and super strength. In the opposite to the ‘Twilight’ vamps Dracula has more then call of blood problems, he is sensitive to garlic, holy water, stakes and crucifixes.

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