Examples Of Sexuality In Dracula

Existence of Sexuality the Victorian Era The Victorian Era was a period in which took name from Queen Victoria’s reign during the 1800’s. This era introduced it’s people to strict beliefs of procreation only. Bram Stoker’s Dracula introduces women in sexual manners during a time where women were prohibited from sexual encounters known as the Victorian Era. A Victorian woman was one of two things a virgin recognized as pure and innocent, or a wife and a mother. The sexual behavior of a Victorian woman was dictated by society because of the fear that if a woman were to have control of her body then she’d gain control of a man too. Women were understood as having no knowledge of sex and little to no desire for it according to male doctors. …show more content…
It’s seen in this case with the daughters of Dracula and Jonathan. Jonathan reveals his attraction for these women he has come in contact with who have sexual intentions; he cannot conclude the reason for his sexual attraction and he is ashamed because of it. “There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina's eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth” (38). What this passage illustrates is the power that these sexualized women in society have over men. Victorians would claim that these sexual women had the power to victimize men and tempt them into evil. For women to gain the kind of power that men uphold would change the structure of a home and a family which can become challenging. This can explain why impure women were not accepted in a society and why Stoker would link sexual women to …show more content…
The girl went on her knees, and bent over me, simply gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck, she actually licked her lips like an animal. . . . Lower and lower went her head as the lips went below the range of my mouth and chin and seemed about to fasten on my throat. . . . I closed my eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited—waited with beating heart” (39). I find it important to include this quote in my paper because it switches gender roles. The position of the vampire over Harker that is assumed proposes a sexual act in which the female is the dominate representing aggression. I believe with this quote I will be able to develop a strong discussion of how women are depicted here and how it differentiates from how women are perceived to be during this