Dracula, By Bram Stoker - 1166 Words

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†¦show more content†¦This passage characterizes Mina’s obedience to her spouse Johnathan, and introduces her as the modest woman. Lucy Westenra represents the sexual woman. In her second letter to Mina, she tells of the th ree marriage proposals that have come to her in one day, and the results of each. She has turned down two men, and accepted the last, but feels badly about having to turn down two of her suitors. She proclaims, â€Å"Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?† (61). From this passage, it can be assumed that Lucy desires sexual relationship with all three men, as that is the result of marriage. Here lies the main difference between the two women. In the end Mina benefits from her domesticity and life of service to men. Lucy, on the other hand, is deviate from social norms, and in turn suffers the consequences for her own sexual aptitude. Dracula’s deadly bite does not harm Mina due to her morals dictating that she continues to live as a human. Dracula soon disappears from the scene, and Mina enjoys her marriage and bears a child. However, Lucy is not as lucky. She is described as a sexual monster after her death. It is believed her sexuality that sealed her fate. It is clear that this is a statement about not only the roles of women in society, but also about the fears of society. The good Victorian woman, represses her sexual desires and will lead a respectable life.Show MoreRelatedDracula, By Bram Stoker1291 Words   |  6 Pages ​Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, not only creates the early depiction of vampire stories; but writes more to contradict the age old beliefs of women and their role in society. Dracula is more that just a vampire story. There is a deeper level to this. A level in which it can incite change in the way one percieves women. There is a noition that all women were to be the same but Dracula refutes that. Vampire sexuality, as represented in Bram Stoker s Dracula, reveals itself as both a phenomenon thatRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker2171 Words   |  9 Pagesreading the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, we learn many things about the style of writing he used to capture the reader’s attention. We also learned about the main ideas Stoker brought in his writing, like how evil is all around us and how when humans join together, they could overcome the evil. In addition, he also describes the protagonist of the story and the way it behaves throughout the whole story and how it gets involved with all the characters. Last but not least, Stoker shows the reader whatRead MoreDracula by Bram Stoker1174 Words   |  5 Pagesthe suppressed Victorian female, but it gave power to women in a male dominant society to become what ever she wanted. Throughout Bram Stokers classic novel ‘Dracula’, we can see the prime and accepted theme of the traditional Victorian women as it battles with the new and rising theme of the ‘New Woman.’ Mina Harker (Murray), Lucy Westendra and the death of Count Dracula all aid the theme of the ‘New Women’ in their own way yet are all brought to their conclusive demise. In the beginning of the novelRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1148 Words   |  5 PagesIn Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there is a plethora of ways the novel can be critically analyzed, but there’s one theory in particular that I found the most interesting to apply. I used the theory of deconstructuralism to critically analyze Dracula, and to help break down the story into particular meanings and themes that can contradict the typical perceptions and first impressions of the novel. To better help complement my analysis, I read and analyzed another popular article by John Paul Riquelme, titledRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1492 Words   |  6 PagesIn the 1897 novel â€Å"Dracula† by Bram Stoker, a vampire named Count Dracula is brought about and brung into the â€Å"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 ot her 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 consideredRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1776 Words   |  8 Pagescorpse, which is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.† Dracula fits into that definition of a vampire perfectly, because vampires are essentially dead people that came back to life to drink other people’s blood, and that is exactly what Dracula does in the story. He goes around capturing any victim that he could possibly get, Jonathan would be a prime example, although he did not completely get him. Furthermore, Dracula makes people think that vampires have to be exactly the same and actRead MoreDracula by Bram Stoker978 Words   |  4 PagesAs the saying goes, â€Å"Women can do everything Men can do.† In the Gothic Novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, there is a constant theme of sexuality, from both male and females in society. In the Victorian era, the roles of male and females have caused a lot of tension. After reading Dracula, some would argue the roles men and women hold in society. As mentioned in Dr. Seward’s Dairy from Val Halsing., â€Å"Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man’s brain—a brain that a man should have were he much gifted—andRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1769 Words   |  8 PagesThe 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 intentionalRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker1039 Words   |   5 PagesBram Stoker creates a well written novel that engages the reader. He designs this novel to contain several techniques which bring character and originality to his writing. Bram Stoker refers to an abnormal character appearance in his work to convey his messages in a mysterious manner to the readers. Meanwhile, Stoker properly establishes the mythology of vampires to help readers appreciate, interpret and analyze the elements of vampirism more efficiently. Stoker writes his novel in such away thatRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker898 Words   |  4 PagesAs we look at vampires from any given time period we see what people thought was frightening, or maybe we would see what they thought was sexy, or forbidden. Although the novel Dracula, authored by Bram Stoker, is over a century old, it still impacts our culture and societies view on vampires today. Many writers have begun to try and recreate the â€Å"vampire† in a new, modern light. For example, in Stephanie Meyerâ €™s Twilight, the vampire’s image is altered from the attacker to the protector. This