During the late 19th Century women's views and ideals were radically attempting to overpower the patriarchal system. How are these changing ideals portrayed in Stoker's 'Dracula'?

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Matthew Wright

During the late 19th Century women’s views and ideals were radically attempting to overpower the patriarchal system. How are these changing ideals portrayed in Stoker’s ‘Dracula’?

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a late 19th century novel; this era in British history saw the expansion and gains of the Empire and the development of technology, which could be seen as an after product of the Industrial revolution. The introduction of these inventions and working practices led to Britain becoming one of the major politically and economically stable countries heading into the 20th century. The unstoppable advancement towards the 20th century and the advancements in technology led to a natural fear among the population. This tension was increased when immigrants from East European countries arrived in England.

This fear of change and of invasion was utilised by authors at the time. They used this fear and tension and embodied it into monstrous characters. Stoker immersed his contemporary audience into a world of foreign language and culture, with Dracula being the fight between good and evil. The novel also raises the issue of patriarchy, which was very apparent during the 1800’s.

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The decline of patriarchy in the novel coincides with the feminist uprising during the 1890’s, ‘Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be held...under the arbitrary domination of another's will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master.’

(Florence Fenwick Miller)

The female need for independence and freedom from their oppression drove the male hierarchy to do everything it could to quash these ideals, ‘Signs of rebellion were swiftly crushed by fathers, husbands, ...

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