Dracula and the Threat of Female Sexual Expression by Bram...

The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, â€Å"horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England† (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different†¦show more content†¦As a result of the transformation, â€Å"Lucy represented the potential for women in this strict Victorian society to give into temptation† (Podonsky) and evolve their personalities from p ure to evil. The three â€Å"weird sisters† (Stoker 71) represent the complete opposite of the ideal Victorian woman with erotic and sexually aggressive characteristics. They were described has having a â€Å"deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck and licked her lips like an animal†¦the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stoker 55-56). This depicted a very subliminally sexual scene between Jonathan and the sisters portraying female dominance, aggression and prowess. The three sisters and Lucy’s â€Å"impure, hypersexual mannerisms were deemed unacceptable† (Humphrey), described as animalistic and repulsive to men because it was considered improper behavior for woman during that time. Dracula presented a clear underlying theme that portrayed the threat of female sexual expression along with a switch from male dominance to female dominance. Count Dracula does not target men, he instead only targets woman, therefore possessing the threat of removing the women’s pureness by converting them from good to evil. Similar to a plague, Dracula is able to remove the richness of virtue in woman and replace it with lustful wantonness and a corrupt moral compass. â€Å"Therefore the mainShow MoreRelatedComparing 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 Victo rian 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. 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Her chief quality is sensualRead 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, contrary