Note: Yes I know this was written a hundred years ago, Im looking for legit discussion please.
Ive been reading Dracula and have noticed a lot of seemingly sexist themes throughout the first 13 chapters. Lucy is portrayed as a damsel in distress with no idea of whats making her ill. The men in her life seem to think she’s a child in need of caring for. When Helsing was doing the transfusions, he only asked the males to help and totally ignored the maids (who Stoker says were all very fond of Lucy, seems like they could’ve given a few drops).
The males in the book treat women like they are subservient and weak willed. Seward is very closed off and feels embarrassed at Helsing when he cries at Lucy’s demise. He treats any emotion as a weakness and continually attributes having feelings to women. Arthur isn’t much in this book so far, but for some reason he thinks giving Lucy his blood is a sign of marriage. Dracula himself keeps a harem and is intent on expanding it.
Despite this, Ive heard several points that make me think Stoker was an early feminist. Later in the book, Mina seems to save the day. She researches and uses modern science to help dispatch Dracula. The guys all say she has the “mind of a man”, which at first seem silly but rethinking it a little, maybe it means women can be taught the same way as men and therefore have the same capabilities.
Im debating on whether or not I want to keep reading and was curious as to the internets thoughts of this book and its ideals.
It’s a book set in Victorian society, aimed at Victorian contemporary readers. There’s a limit to how far you can deviate from the social norm without alienating the readers it was written for.
And there’s a lot of pragmatism as well. If you’re going to perform a new and risky operation like a blood transfusion, it makes sense to start with the big strong male volunteers instead of hassling the staff to pitch in.
Yes, the women thought of being obedient and dutiful wives as was the social expectation of them. So are the men. We start out with Harker dutifully writing to his wife every day. It doesn’t mean the women don’t have agency. Lucy was considering several suitors and had every freedom to turn them away. Mina was putting in serious work managing her husband’s estate and supporting his work as a solicitor.
But at the end of the day, women were dependent on men in Victorian society. And men carried the responsibility for their household on their shoulders. In a good marriage, that meant teamwork like Mina and Jonathan. And like Lucy was hoping for. In a bad marriage… well that’s why women campaigned for equal rights.
While it’s unlikely that Bram Stoker was anything like an organized and self-professed feminist. He clearly thought women could be competent, intelligent, and contribute. But that doesn’t change the time period of his life and his novel.