Taking a look (an not even a close one) at movies or TV-series dealing with vampires, one immediately recognizes the vampire as a sexed-up figure, conveying the notion of the lascivious vamp as in Underworld, the noble alpha-male as in Blood Ties or the longed-for guardian and lover as in Moonlight. In her novels, Anne Rice describes the vampire’s bite as a liturgical act (cf. Brittnacher 1994:131), Sheridan Le Fanu’s female vampire Carmilla is actually a lesbian (cf. Leatherdale 1985, 54) and John Polidori’s early story The Vampyre is considered to have successfully combined the vampire-motif with a seducing romanticism (Hurst 2002, 139; Leatherdale 1985, 51). There is a long tradition in sexing up vampire-figures, reaching back even to Bram Stocker’s Dracula.
Indeed, Bram Stoker combined different aspects of the literary vampire when he created Count Dracula (cf. Brittnacher 1994, 119ff; Hurst 141f). This mixture of well-tried elements may be one of the reasons why Bram Stoker’s novel is widely seen as the “by far best-known literary treatment of the vampire myth” (Bentley 1972, 27). Amazingly, Dracula has never been out of print since it was first published in 1897 (Leatherdale 1985, 11; McNally et.al. 1994, 133) and can thus be said to have become the figurehead for the vampirism-phenomena. Consequently, James Twitchell asserts that “vampire and Dracula have become synonymous” (1981, 132).
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Dracula as an (un-) conscious sexual allegory
- The Issue of the New Woman in Dracula
- Conclusion
- Primary Literature
- Secondary Literature
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze the sexual implications of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and determine whether Stoker was consciously aware of the sexual allegory he created. It will also investigate the potential criticism of the "New Woman" movement present in the novel. Here are the key themes explored in the paper:- The role of sexuality in Bram Stoker's "Dracula"
- The conscious or unconscious nature of Stoker's sexual allegory
- The interpretation of "Dracula" as a critique of the "New Woman" movement
- The portrayal of female characters and their relationship to sexuality
- The historical and social context of Victorian prudishness and its impact on literary works
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Introduction
The introduction sets the context for the analysis, highlighting the association of vampires with repressed sexuality and romantic traits. It also mentions examples of literary works that explore vampirism in relation to eroticism and romanticism.Dracula as an (un-) conscious sexual allegory
This chapter delves into the question of whether Stoker was consciously aware of the sexual symbolism in "Dracula." It discusses the constraints of Victorian society, particularly the strong taboo surrounding sexual topics, and how they might have influenced Stoker's writing. The chapter also examines sexually charged scenes in the novel, suggesting that Stoker might have been more aware of the sexual implications than previously thought.The Issue of the New Woman in Dracula
This chapter explores the potential interpretation of "Dracula" as a critique of the "New Woman" movement. It examines the character of Mina and how her portrayal might reveal Stoker's attitude towards feminist ideals emerging in Victorian society.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the themes of sexuality, allegory, "Dracula," Bram Stoker, Victorian society, "New Woman," and the historical context of prudishness in Victorian literature.- Quote paper
- Christoph Haeberlein (Author), 2006, Issues of Sexuality in "Bram Stoker’s Dracula", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/113255
