Women in Dionea

On pages 19-20, I was interested in how the passage seems to scrutinize the sexually suggestive admiration women have towards each other when women in 19th-century literature often share intimate, emotional interactions and relationships. For example, in Dracula, one of the key differences between Lucy and Mina’s letters to each other versus those between the men is their dramatics toward each other, like calling each other “Dearest” in their letters and the deep emotion with which they speak about each other, which can be interpreted as sexually suggestive and is expected of women and not of men. However, the narrator in Dionea claims women should not share this emotional admiration as they are expected to be responsible for curbing their husband’s sexual urges toward other women. I also found it interesting in the story how the doctor describes the extraordinary nature of Dionea’s beauty and the anticipation that the men will not be able to control themselves, leaving it to their wives to keep them in line. The doctor then becomes appalled that Gertrude encourages Waldemar to sculpt Dionea; perhaps he feels the spell of Dionea’s beauty, coupled with her other witchlike traits, is influencing Gertrude too, which might suggest a disapproval of homosexual desires between women. 

One reason I feel this passage could hint at the disapproval of homosexual desires is how Waldemar expresses his lack of determination to sculpt Dionea. He says “Leave the girl alone” to his wife, asking why he would be bothered with the “unaesthetic sex”, as the only woman he sculpts is his wife (Lee 20). I found this piece to be intriguing because it exemplifies the rejection of seeing women expressing sexual desires toward other women and creating a contrast between Gertrude and her husband. The doctor expects Gertrude to be the voice of restraint and chastity, claiming “a wife’s duty is as much to chasten her husband’s whim as to satisfy them”, thus through the contrast of Waldemar’s lack of interest in sculpting Dionea, he suggests Gertrude has failed as a wife by encouraging that another woman would be a good model for her husband rather than satisfying him herself and restraining him from sinful sexual acts (Lee 20). Additionally, the doctor claims Gertrude has committed some kind of sin for being so adamant about her husband sculpting another woman, insinuating that sculpting another woman is synonymous with adultery. 

The critical commentary of Gertrude’s desire to have her husband sculpt Dionea while suggesting disapproval of same-sex desires or sexually suggestive admirations also hints at a desire for non-monogamy that is also shamed. The doctor mentions that “other women may think it right to humour their husbands”, but he urges that it is unacceptable for a wife to toy with the idea of her husband being intimate with another woman with her consent (Lee 20). Overall, it seems the creation of art between two people, the artist and the model, is perceived to be an inherently intimate interaction that is not acceptable for a woman’s husband to be partaking with another woman.