Portrayal Of Female Sexuality By Bram Stoker s Dracula

Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula is a novel that condemns liberated female sexuality, presenting it as volatile and threatening to the established patriarchal order of the Victorian Era. By examining the varying level of sexuality among Stoker’s female characters and their narrative outcomes, the novel’s attitude that female sexuality is hostile becomes apparent. In Castle Dracula, Harker meets three vampiric women whose monstrosity is presented as inseparable from their eroticism. Describing their fangs, Jonathan Harker writes ‘I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth’ (52). Here, fangs serve as signs of these women’s inhumanity and their carnality, this†¦show more content†¦In extreme contrast to the lecherous she-beasts met by her husband in Transylvania, Mrs Johnathan Harker epitomises the Victorian notion of a good woman. Rather than occupy the role of a physical lover, Mina is a maternal figure, nurturing all her friends with an innate and instinctive tenderness. To the bereaved Lord Arthur Godalming she ‘opens her arms unthinkingly’ (275), resting his head on her shoulder ‘as though it were that of a baby that some day may lie on my bosom’ (275). Despite this simile endowing Mina with power over G odalming it is an acceptable power for a woman to have, that possessed by mothers over their babes, rather than that by dominatrices over their victims. At the same time as being femininely caring, she is also intelligent and sensible, perceived as typically masculine qualities by the Victorians. Described by Van Helsing on more than one occasion of having a ‘man’s brain’ (281, 404) while also having a ‘woman’s heart (281), Mina is rendered virtually void of any sexual desire or attraction. Her womanliness centres on gentle compassion and the manliness of her mind ensures she is too sensible to give in to any subconscious eroticism. She alone of the novel’s female characters survives, and ends happily married with one son. Unfortately, Mina’s friend Miss Lucy Westenra shares none of the former’sShow MoreRelatedPortrayal Of Female Sexuality By Bram Stoker s Dracula Essay1370 Words   |  6 Pagesa particular addition of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Maurice Hindle had suggested that â€Å"sex was the monster Stoker feared most.† This essay will examine the examples of this statement in the Dracula text, focusing on female sexuality. The essay will also briefly look at an article Stoker had written after Dracula which also displays Stoker’s fear. Dracula is a novel that indulges its male reader’s imagination, predominantly on the topic of female sexuality. When Dracula was first published, VictorianRead MoreBram Stoker s Dracul Victorian Men And Women1455 Words   |  6 PagesKatherine Fulmer ENGL 3023 Dr. Lawrence 1 December 2015 Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Victorian Men and Women 1. Introduction Bram Stoker’s world famous novel Dracula, blurs the lines between Victorian ideal gender roles by using strong central female characters, such as, the three vampire sisters, Lucy and Mina, to express a powerful female sexuality challenging the Victorian notion of what makes a woman. The Victorian society placed women in a bubble of sexual purity and fragileness, making men the centralRead MoreSuch a Beast: Sexuality and Humanization in Dracula1611 Words   |  7 PagesOver the course of cinematic history, many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the chilling, unprecedented world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Arguably very few have succeeded, for the majority of directors tend to avoid the pervasive sexuality inherent in the novel. It is a difficult task to achieve, considering the blatant imagery surrounding sex and vampirism, such as the reproduction following a vampiric encounter and the phallocentric nature of the violence committed both by and against theseRead Mor eComparing Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the 1972 Film Blacula Essay1917 Words   |  8 PagesBram Stoker’s Dracula is not only a classic story of men and monsters, but a dramatic reactionary work to the perceived threats to Victorian society in nineteenth century England. In modern times there have been many film adaptations of the novel, each developing a unique analysis or criticism of the literary text within the framework of the society and time period in which it was created. The 1972 film Blacula is one of the most culturally specific variations on the story of Dracula, and highlightsRead MoreDracula And The New Woman1992 Words   |  8 PagesDracula and the New Woman In the Victorian era, women were viewed as subordinate to men. They often had one job: reproduction. They would become housewives and cater to their husband and children’s needs. As the era progressed, so did the role of women. The once shy women were now changing into courageous and outspoken members of society. These women were open about their sexuality and embraced their intelligence. This new found independence was a turning moment in history and was given the nameRead MoreEnglish Source Doc.7581 Words   |  31 PagesTitle: Dracula: Stoker s Response to the New Woman Author(s): Carol A. Senf Publication Details: Victorian Studies 26.1 (Autumn 1982): p33-49. Source: Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 156. Detroit: Gale, 2006. From Literature Resource Center. Document Type: Critical essay Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale, COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning Full Text:   [(essay date autumn 1982) In the following essay, Senf contends that, contraryRead MoreTexts Can Be Modified or Appropriated to Suit Different Audiences or Purposes, Yet Still Remain Firmly Within the Genre. Discuss Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and at Least One of the Films You Have Studied.1050 Words   |  5 Pageswithin the genre. Discuss Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and at least one of the films you have studied. FW Murnau’s 1921 film Nosferatu is an appropriation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Despite it being an appropriation, explicit gothic conventions remain evident, which explore societal fears and values. These fears and values differ from Dracula, due to distinct contextual influences of different time periods. Stoker’s novel Dracula, presents the fear of female promiscuity, for which vampirism isRead MoreComparing Vampire And The Vampire Diaries1660 Words   |  7 Pagescultural phenomenon would not have happened without Dracula. Without Bram Stoker’s novel, there would be no stereotypical vampires that capture the culture’s conscious. Aside from telling a story on vampires, Dracula also explores ideals about the women of the time in which it was written, which is the Victorian Era. Throughout the Victorian period, one of the predominant concerns was the role of women and the place they fill in their society. Dracula is one of many Victorian novels that explore theRead MoreEssay on Gothic Fiction2923 Words   |  12 Pagesfiction is erotic at the root according to Punter. From your reading of Frankenstein and Dracula how far would you agree with Punters interpretation. Gothic fiction is erotic at the root according to Punter. From your reading of Frankenstein and Dracula how far would you agree with Punters interpretation. In your essay you should consider: - · The authors portrayal of eroticism and sexuality (in all its forms) through characters. - · Relevant social/cultural concerns duringRead MoreThe Angel Of The House1756 Words   |  8 PagesMina says herself before Dracula comes into her life that â€Å"[she] [has] been working very hard lately, because [she] [wants] to keep up with Jonathan’s studies [and when they] are married [she] shall be able to be useful to Jonathan† (Stoker 53). Even before Dracula’s threat becomes imminent, she works only to help Jonathan and not for herself (Mai 30). Through this analysis, it seems as Mina’s work in organising the text is permitted by a contemporary discourse, Bram Stoker nonetheless â€Å"felt the need