Newfound sexuality and the New Woman: Challenging societal fears and cultural preoccupations with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to examine how Bram Stoker’s Dracula reflect societal fears and cultural preoccupations of newfound sexuality and the New Woman in the late 19th century. In recent discussions of Dracula, scholars have argued that how women are portrayed and treated in the novel, represents different ways the New Woman appeared and were feared in the Victorian society. In the words of scholar Ioana Baciu, “to be accepted in society, the woman could only exist as the male projection of purity envisioned by her suitors and husband-to-be” (84). According to this view, the Victorian woman could either adhere to society and the male perspective of how a woman should behave or behave however they like with the risk of being shunned and mistreated. Similarity, both scholars Charles E. Prescott and Grace A. Giorgio dive deeper into the new women who strive to achieve the same as any man, but at the same time does anything to please their husbands. Building on this is the element of sexuality, which the scholar Christopher Craft argues controls of numerous actions taken throughout the novel. In the context of discussions on Dracula, I will focus on the different aspects of societal fears surrounding changes in gender roles, gender inversion, and the New woman of the late 19th century. The New Woman brought a change to society, which is one of the major themes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To achieve this, I will analyse Stoker’s description of Mina and Lucy, and their role in society, how the two women were treated by the male characters, and how Dracula affected the women’ s traditional femininity, as well as how he influences Jonthan Harker’s masculinity. This is significant, because at the time the novel was written, women started to change their attitude against their position in society, wanting more equality and opportunities, both inside and outside of marriage. Overall, I want to examine how Dracula reflects on gender and sexuality in an era where this topic was still socially taboo.

The aim of this thesis is to examine how Bram Stoker’s Dracula reflect societal fears and cultural preoccupations of newfound sexuality and the New Woman in the late 19th century. In recent discussions of Dracula, scholars have argued that how women are portrayed and treated in the novel, represents different ways the New Woman appeared and were feared in the Victorian society. In the words of scholar Ioana Baciu, “to be accepted in society, the woman could only exist as the male projection of purity envisioned by her suitors and husband-to-be” (84). According to this view, the Victorian woman could either adhere to society and the male perspective of how a woman should behave or behave however they like with the risk of being shunned and mistreated. Similarity, both scholars Charles E. Prescott and Grace A. Giorgio dive deeper into the new women who strive to achieve the same as any man, but at the same time does anything to please their husbands. Building on this is the element of sexuality, which the scholar Christopher Craft argues controls of numerous actions taken throughout the novel. In the context of discussions on Dracula, I will focus on the different aspects of societal fears surrounding changes in gender roles, gender inversion, and the New woman of the late 19th century. The New Woman brought a change to society, which is one of the major themes in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. To achieve this, I will analyse Stoker’s description of Mina and Lucy, and their role in society, how the two women were treated by the male characters, and how Dracula affected the women’ s traditional femininity, as well as how he influences Jonthan Harker’s masculinity. This is significant, because at the time the novel was written, women started to change their attitude against their position in society, wanting more equality and opportunities, both inside and outside of marriage. Overall, I want to examine how Dracula reflects on gender and sexuality in an era where this topic was still socially taboo.