WOMEN AND SEXUALITY IN BRAM STROKER'S DRACULA

Running head: WOMEN AND SEXUALITY IN BRAM STROKER'S DRACULA
WOMEN AND SEXUALITY IN BRAM STROKER'S DRACULA
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Author Note

WOMEN AND SEXUALITY IN BRAM STROKER'S DRACULA1
Dracula is one of the most celebrated fiction novels that have been composed by Bram
Stroker. The novel had been composed in the late nineteenth century and is generally highlighted
as a part of the novels that comprises the horror genre. Bram Stroker, through the novel hints at
the sexual undertones that were presented within the Victorian society. The excess of the female
sexual overtones, the novel tends to attract the attention of male readers on a major basis due to
the forbidden nature of the subject as was maintained within the Victorian society (Swartz-
Levine 353). The following paper attempts a discussion on the portrayal of women and sexuality
as have been portrayed in one of the most celebrated novels of Bram Stroker, Dracula. The
paper discusses the various instances wherein the novelist highlights the sexual overtones that
highlight the various social practices that were in practice in the Victorian societal setup.
Bram Stroker in the famous novel, Dracula, revolves around the conditions that were
presented in the Victorian society. The novel majorly highlights all the various practices that
were undertaken by the people residing in the late nineteenth century and the various social
taboos and practices that were undertaken by the people in the then social conditions. The novel
demonstrates the practices that were highlighted in the Victorian society (Kistler 250). The novel
presents the women characters as have been highlighted within the novel to endure the
suppression at the hand of their male counterparts. The two major women characters of the novel
include the characters of Lucy and Mina. The novelist portrays their characters as the two
different types of women who had supposedly been present within the Victorian society
(Burstein 8). One of the two types of women described by the novelist included the demure and
the docile women who were observed to have been maintaining and abiding by the various rules
and the regulations that were set by the patriarchal society. The other type included the rebellious
women who had been present within the then society. The rebellious women were considered to

WOMEN AND SEXUALITY IN BRAM STROKER'S DRACULA2
be threats to the maintenance of the proper patriarchy within the society. The novelist is observed
to have demonstrated the fact that the women of the Victorian though had their own opinions
regarding the empowerment of the female members of the society, they however agreed on the
common fact that the Victorian society had been highly patriarchal in nature (Lasa 6). The
dominance that was maintained by the male members of the Victorian society can be highlighted
through the statement “My dear Mina, why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy
of them?” (Stoker 86).
The docile nature of the female members of the Victorian society have been highlighted
by the novelist through the portrayal of Mina. The description of Mina through the eyes of Van
Helsing is highly demonstrative of the docile nature of an ideal Victorian era lady (Fleissner 76).
The character of Mina is described by Van Helsing as “one of God's women, fashioned by His
own hand to show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that
its light can be here on earth. So true, so sweet, so noble, so little an egoist” (Stoker 268). Mina
is observed to have been a meek lady who demonstrates to have been possessing intellect as well
is educated but however chooses to use her talent to serve her husband only (Shane 20). The
level of her dedication is highlighted through her speech wherein she states “I have been working
very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathan’s studies, and I have been practicing
shorthand very assiduously” (Stoker 79). Her views regarding the male members is high and that
is highlighted when she opines that “a brave man’s hand can speak for itself; it does not even
need a woman’s love to hear its music” (Stoker 339).
On the other hand, Lucy is described to belong to the rebellious women who also existed
within the Victorian society. The novelist does not portray Lucy to be dedicated to a single male
being all throughout the novel. The character is described to be in stark contrast to the character