Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Seminar für Englische Philologie
5th Semester
Gothic Fiction
Instructor: Tina Helbig
Gender Roles and Sexuality in Bram Stokers
Dracula
Sabine Auscher
Registration Number: 21167607
Marktstraße 29
38640 Goslar
E-Mail: sabine.auscher@stud.uni-goettingen.de
Date of submission: 27th March 2015 Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. The Distinction between Gender and Sex 2
2.1 The Victorian Era and Gender Roles 2
2.2 The Age of the New Woman 3
3. Gender Roles in Dracula 4
3.1 The three Vampire Ladies of Dracula 4
3.2 The Vampire Hunters 5
3.3 The Solicitor Jonathan Harker 6
3.4 The Count and Vampire Dracula 7
3.5 The Development of Women’s Sexuality 9 …show more content…
The author wrote the novel facing the insecurities and anxieties about changes within a society. The British Empire during that time was undergoing a massive change, when it comes to societal values and the function of women within the society. Throughout the Victorian age women fought for equal rights for both genders but especially for the rights of women. Furthermore women started to challenge the traditional gender roles and over the cause of time they became more independent from the dominant male and that determined their behaviour. As a result these changes did not only influence the women but had also consequences on how men behaved. Men started to look differently upon women, because for them their behaviour seemed unnatural. The development of a stronger and sexual freer woman was a threat for men since they were in the dominant position within the society. It was some sort of shock for men as they realized that their position changed and they perceived the women as of something evil had come upon …show more content…
Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris are the characters to hunt vampires in Bram Stokers novel Dracula. They are represented as perfect Victorian men who are fearless and have good hearts.
Lucy Westenra choses Arthur as the man she wants to get married to, even though Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris proposed to her as well. The four men are best friends even after Arthur Holmwood has been picked by Lucy as a possible husband.
The men’s devoted behaviour towards one another can be perceived as very female characteristics, since they show their affinity towards each other over and over again. Even though Bram Stoker describes their outer appearance to be very male and appropriate according to their gender, they still have female
Seminar für Englische Philologie
5th Semester
Gothic Fiction
Instructor: Tina Helbig
Gender Roles and Sexuality in Bram Stokers
Dracula
Sabine Auscher
Registration Number: 21167607
Marktstraße 29
38640 Goslar
E-Mail: sabine.auscher@stud.uni-goettingen.de
Date of submission: 27th March 2015 Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. The Distinction between Gender and Sex 2
2.1 The Victorian Era and Gender Roles 2
2.2 The Age of the New Woman 3
3. Gender Roles in Dracula 4
3.1 The three Vampire Ladies of Dracula 4
3.2 The Vampire Hunters 5
3.3 The Solicitor Jonathan Harker 6
3.4 The Count and Vampire Dracula 7
3.5 The Development of Women’s Sexuality 9 …show more content…
The author wrote the novel facing the insecurities and anxieties about changes within a society. The British Empire during that time was undergoing a massive change, when it comes to societal values and the function of women within the society. Throughout the Victorian age women fought for equal rights for both genders but especially for the rights of women. Furthermore women started to challenge the traditional gender roles and over the cause of time they became more independent from the dominant male and that determined their behaviour. As a result these changes did not only influence the women but had also consequences on how men behaved. Men started to look differently upon women, because for them their behaviour seemed unnatural. The development of a stronger and sexual freer woman was a threat for men since they were in the dominant position within the society. It was some sort of shock for men as they realized that their position changed and they perceived the women as of something evil had come upon …show more content…
Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris are the characters to hunt vampires in Bram Stokers novel Dracula. They are represented as perfect Victorian men who are fearless and have good hearts.
Lucy Westenra choses Arthur as the man she wants to get married to, even though Dr. John Seward and Quincey Morris proposed to her as well. The four men are best friends even after Arthur Holmwood has been picked by Lucy as a possible husband.
The men’s devoted behaviour towards one another can be perceived as very female characteristics, since they show their affinity towards each other over and over again. Even though Bram Stoker describes their outer appearance to be very male and appropriate according to their gender, they still have female