A feminist analysis of Dracula

The first 200 words of this essay...

A feminist analysis of Dracula

There has been, thankfully, a great shift since the chastened "New Women" of Bram Stoker's Dracula, as noted by critic Phyllis A. Roth

"For both the Victorians and twentieth century readers, much of the novel's great appeal comes from its hostility toward female sexuality"1

That hostility has been a source for female transformation from the post feminist era of the 1960's to the present day.

Stoker's familiarity with the feminist movement in Victorian England and his apparent support of equality between men and woman based on an intellectual level leaves us with the question of why does his support appear to draw the line when it comes to sexual equality. Stoker's personal life regarding his different relationships with women is what may suggest the motivations behind his ambivalence towards the "New Woman". So it can be said that Stoker's treatment of women in Dracula does not stem from his hatred of women in general but from his ambivalent reaction to the concept of the "New Woman".

Stoker's Dracula is a window through which we can see the Victorian society. We see how Stoker is sympathetic towards