Course Blog

In Dracula, all the main characters have money, however, the maids do not, and because of this, they are portrayed as thoughtless idiots, whose trauma gets ignored. In the crazy deadly night from chapter eleven, the maids get poisoned. Dr. Seward goes to wake them, and this is how he describes the encounter. “I was stern with them, however, and would not let them talk. I told them one life was bad enough to lose, and that if they delayed they would sacrifice Miss Lucy.” (158 Stoker) These maids were the only fully alive people in the house last night. This means they know a lot more information than the two men who just walked in.  However, because they are third-class citizens, they are believed to be useless. These two men think simply because they are rich and men, that they are the only ones who can figure out what happened. At this time they do not know about the letter hidden in Lucy’s chest, therefore, they do not listen to the maids because they are female maids and not because they have other information. It is also clear in the way Dr. Seward speaks to them how low he thinks of them. He speaks to them as though they are children. It is blatantly obvious how bad it is to lose a life. These maids are very aware of this fact. Not only is this statement belittling their intelligence, but it is also belittling their trauma. These maids just saw their boss die, and then got poisoned. While yes, Lucy and her mom had it worse, but, if these people were not maids, and were instead Lucy’s friend, or someone of the upper class, Dr. Seward would be much more mindful of their feelings. If you and all your coworkers were to get drugged, then you would need at least a minute to process what just happened. After this statement, he goes on to say, ” So, sobbing and crying, they went about their way, half-clad”.  (158 Stoker) Dr. Seward does not even give a second thought to the fact that they are rightfully very upset. To make matters worse, they are not even fully dressed. At this time not being fully dressed around anyone outside of your family was extremely shameful, especially men. However, he did not even give a second thought to their feelings.  

Throughout this novel, Dracula and vampirism are created to portray the influences that are not within moral values held by Christians in England. Stoker uses Dracula to embody these foreign and dangerous values that are beginning to make their way into Western culture. Dracula begins his reign of terror in Romania, which is in Eastern Europe, and slowly begins to infiltrate British society. Johnathan’s first interaction with Count Dracula is in a place that he is largely unfamiliar with. As he prepares to depart for the Count’s castle, he is met with warnings from the locals, as they say “It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?” (Ch. 1). In response to this warning, Jonathan attempts to comfort her and state that “it was all very ridiculous, but I did not feel comfortable” (Ch. 1). The townsfolk are aware of the dangerous aspects of their nation, but Jonathan does not know enough to take caution. His dismissal of the local warnings displays the depiction of the superiority of British society, as Jonathan has never had to concern himself with such dangers in England.  

Stoker’s use of vampirism as a symbol of non-British influence is further seen when Mina decides to read through Jonathan’s diary. As she read through his accounts of his experiences in the castle, she sees that the Count has plans to come to England. Upon reading this, she writes that “That fearful Count was come to London… If it should be, and he came to London, with his teeming millions… There may be solemn duty to; and if it come we must not shrink from it” (Ch. 14). This is a call to action for those in Britain. Van Helsing notes that once vampirism infects one individual, they pass it on to others. This illustrates the fear of foreign influences that were present at the time. Once these dangerous people and ideologies make their way in, they upset the status quo and prove difficult to stifle. Mina makes the decision to take action in the fight against vampirism and is praised by Van Helsing for doing so. He describes her as “one of the lights” of the world. Mina is a textbook example of a British patriot and Stoker portrays her as an angel because of this.

Van Helsing takes his role as a leader throughout the book and is the perfect opposite of Dracula. Whether he uses his knowledge of hunting vampires or saving humans, Van Helsing always seems to be at the front of goodness. Van Helsing believes it is the job of men to stop evil. For instance, Van Helsing said, “A brave man’s blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You’re a man and no mistake. Well, the devil may work against us for all he’s worth, but God sends us men when we want them.” (chap 12; p 160). This passage certainly indicates Van Hesling’s idea of gender roles, but it also represents the influence religion has on him. Firstly, he uses “devil” and “god” in the same sentence, which reflects how much he thinks about the duality of each. Van Helsing uses religion to create his moral code, and that code helps him lead others in the fight against evil. Not only does it help him navigate morality, but religion also helps characters physically defend themselves against Dracula. Van Helsing uses religion to motivate him in his pursuit of destroying evil and uses it as his defense throughout the book.

The fact that Van Helsing is motivated by Christianity makes him the perfect foe for Dracula. On one hand, there is an evil creature that is dead and feeds itself on the blood of humans. The creature is so dark it cannot even survive in sunlight. Dracula is the closest creature to a devil that anyone could conceive at the time, and on the other side is someone who is the complete opposite. He is a leader and healer motivated by God that is set to destroy evil, even at the cost of his own life. The only way to have a story with such a monster is by creating a great hero, and with the background of vampires, the hero in Dracula had to have religious motivations. The theme of good versus evil, or God versus the Devil, is critical for the book and is seen almost everywhere.

My claim about Dracula is through the lens of the 19th century, and it is that when women are perceived to have power, which is equivalent to control over their future, it eventually backfires and leads to a perception of malignance by society. In other words, when a woman has the slightest power, she is seen as dangerous and a threat to social construction. This is also a direct commentary on how 19th-century gender roles stifle women. Lucy is an example of this. She starts in the book with excitement about her newfound power, illustrated by this quote: “Oh, Mina, I am so happy that I don’t know what to do with myself. And three proposals!” (Chapter 5). Marriage in the 19th century is often the only way women can begin to feel powerful. Marriage meant that women were socially protected and, in some cases, elevated to a higher social status. In Lucy’s case, she chose Arthur, who is a Lord, so she gets both benefits of marriage. However, as the novel continues, she falls ill, and her agency over her body and mind slips away until she meets her untimely end. This is a direct attempt to strip her of her last choice: to live. While she had perceived control over her decisions with the marriage proposals, I argue that she never had agency over all aspects of her life. Her sickness is a metaphor for how society punishes women when they have power over themselves. As the text continues, Lucy is lying on her deathbed; she is seen with “Pale gums, drawn back made the teeth look longer and sharper than ever” (Chapter 12). This is a direct characteristic of vampirism and illustrates how even though she is portrayed as a frail young woman, she bores the mark of her punishment in the form of fangs. This is further evidence that women who do not fit stereotypical gender roles are seen as participating in horrifying breaks of social conventions. It also suggests that if a woman desires to have agency, they must be seen as less than human by society. 

 

Dracula by Bram Stoker was written in a time period of uncertainty. Written just before the horizon of the 1900s, Dracula is an attempt by Bram Stoker to make several comments on the time period and setting that the villainous monster Dracula and his surrounding pupils reside in.  On page 146 of the novel, there is a short excerpt from Lucy Westenra’s diary that describes her trouble sleeping with and without the presence of Dr. Van Helsing. Lucy composes, “ I have a dim half remembrance of long, anxious times of waiting and fearing…”(Stoker 146). This excerpt describes Lucy’s interpretation of what her nights of sleep were like before the presence of Dr. Van Helsing. Looking further into these descriptions, it is evident that there is a strong negative connotation that goes along with the diction that is present within this section of Lucy’s diary. As we look further into this diary entry there is a mood change that very abruptly takes place. Lucy writes, “ Since, however, Dr. Van Helsing has been with me, all this bad dreaming seems to have passed away… I go to bed without any fear of sleep”(Stoker 146). Once again the diction of this excerpt seems to have a very strong connotation; this time being positive. This mood change within this diary entry not only shows a change in Lucy’s physical well being but it has an underlying message that correlates with the time period. What I am really trying to get at here is a claim about the relationship between men and women in this time period.

Bram Stoker does not immediately come out and say that men are the comfort to the lives of women, however, he implicitly describes this relationship through the dialogue and diary of Lucy Westenra. In this selected diary entry this relationship is channeled through Lucy’s sleep. Taking a personal aspect of someone’s life, like sleep in this instance, and turning it into a struggle that can only be fixed by a man leads readers to believe that the daily activities of women in this time period could seemingly only be fully completed or gone through with the help and watchful eye of a man. This claim is much larger than what is happening in this specific journal entry. In the late 1800s it is no surprise that women were seen as fragile compared to their male counterparts. Stoker throughout his novel as a whole employs Lucy as a mouthpiece, despite her actual sex, for men. Many times throughout the novel Lucy becomes so captivated by the way that men play a role in her life that she almost dehumanizes herself; similar to how women were treated by men. In this sense Bram Stoker, being the writer behind Lucy, may have done this to recognize the words and actions of the women who surrounded him. It is likely that the setting in which his life took place was a template for Dracula.  In this way it is understandable that not only does Dracula serve as a thriller of the century but a comment on the century. At base level Dracula is just a horror novel but it is thoughts that women like Lucy have that drive one of the underlying themes that runs throughout the novel and is a direct reflection of the period in which Stoker wrote this piece of literature. 

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My favorite part of this class so far has been the discussions of madness, or what we now consider mental illness, within the texts. Lady Audley self-identifies herself as mad and ends up in a mental asylum, but this is largely off page. Sherlock Holmes shows clear signs of neurodivergence, but that is from a modern perspective. Dracula is the first novel from the course with a heavy focus on nineteenth century mental institutions. In chapter eight in a section of Dr. Seward’s diary he says “It looks like religious mania, and he will soon think that he himself is God. These infinitesimal distinctions distinctions between man and man are too paltry for an Omnipotent Being. How these madmen give themselves away! The real God taketh heed lest a sparrow fall; but the God created from human vanity sees no difference between an eagle and a sparrow. Oh, if men only knew!”(Stoker, 111). I believe this passage is foreshadowing the theme of Dracula’s immortality and God-like-ness, and is establishing a theme of the difference between the mad and the sane.

Any reference to religion is easy to connect back to the central vampiric plot. Vampires are typically immortal, which is a God-like trait, are often resurrected, which is an easy connection to Christianity, and religious items are typically harmful to vampires. So any reference to God can be connected back to Dracula, our main godly character.

What I find the most interesting about this passage is the comparison of the mad and the sane. I believe the line about eagles vs sparrows refers to mad and sane people. Here I think Dr. Steward is saying that someone as powerful as a God isn’t concerned with the minor differences between who human beings consider mad and sane. A few pages later in an entry of Dr. Seward’s diary in chapter ten he says “All men are mad in some way or the other.”(Stoker, 129). I believe the quote from page 111 this is the beginning of this idea on 129. I think Dr. Seward is trying to say that despite the differences in people’s brains that makes someone “mad” or “sane” we are all united under mortality, or not being Gods. This could also be applied to the other marginalized groups featured in the novel. Regardless of gender, class, or country of origin, we have a lot more in common just by being human.

These two themes connect because by saying that God does not care about a person’s madness, or lack there of, Dracula does not either. To Dracula humans are just humans to feed on regardless of if they are mad, sane, women, men, other genders, foreigners, natives to any country, poor, or rich, he will feed off or kill anyone. This indiscriminate violence is a large part of what makes him particularly monstrous.

A significant thematic undertone of Dracula is that of Victorian anxieties over how science would impact the future of humanity and society. In Chapter VI, Mina has a few encounters with Mr. Swales, a very old man who entertains her with his wild stories and strange opinions on the local community of Whitby and the state of society. This incredibly old man stands in stark contrast to Count Dracula, who himself seems to be aging backwards thanks to his vampiric powers and his increased consumption of blood. The “Sir Oracle” of Whitby, in contrast, shares his opinion “on the subject of legends” and believes that such stories are “‘only fit to set bairns an’ dizzy women a-belderin'” (Stoker, 73). Such an old and supposedly out of touch man can be seen to represent the outdated and incorrect beliefs of a bygone era.

Mr. Swales outright states that myths and legends (such as those of vampires) are silly stories that only the most foolish individuals would believe. He is, of course, wrong, as vampires are real in the context of the story, and the old man himself is later killed by the frightful sight of such a creature (Stoker, 97). The killing of Mr. Swales by the sight of Dracula can be seen to represent the death of an old age and the arrival of a new one. Because Dracula’s mere appearance was enough to end the old man’s life, this event cleverly represents Victorian fears over the coming of a new era whose arrival is hinted at through scientific breakthroughs and social changes. The Victorians did not know what this new age would look like, and that nearly frightened them to death.

 

The Speckled Band

“’My name is Sherlock Holmes… Pray draw up to it, and I shall order you a cup of hot coffee, for I observe that you are shivering.’

“It is not cold which makes me shiver,” said that woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requested.

‘It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror.’ She raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some haunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey, and her expression was weary and haggard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of his quick, all-comprehensive glances.” (Doyle 132)

 

After reading strictly Lady Audley and how women and their actions were interpreted by Robert, the way Holmes interacts with the ladies he encounters is impressive. First, he begins by offering Helen Stoner hot coffee as he notices she is shivering. Then as she removes her black veil, Watson narrates all the details and inferences he can make just by the state of her face. Had Stoner been a character in LA, Robert would have deducted that she was a powerful woman with great acting skills and that he would fear the people she could manipulate.

 

Unless it was romance, I don’t think men took women seriously during this period. Women were not able to work, they couldn’t really own property, and they were deemed too emotional and sensitive. Sherlock Holmes is a feminist detective in the way that he was able to resolve this issue without ever once concluding that Stoner was mad. Of course, this is the bare minimum, however, that is easier to say as a reader in the twenty-first century where this is the norm. Had it been Robert, or any other detective, they would have thought Stoner was mad and that she had a hidden object the men were unaware of.

 

That is what makes this novel sensational. They include many of the gothic motifs, like place & time, crisis, and supernatural, and the real, without the sexism/power aspect between the main protagonist and the victims he encounters which allows readers to focus solely on the mystery of the cases Holmes solves.

      “What had been his love for his first wife but a poor, pitiful, smoldering spark, too dull to be extinguished, too feeble to burn? But this was love—thiS fever, this longing, this restless, uncertain, miserable hesitation; these cruel fears that his age was an insurmountable barrier to his happiness; this sick hatred of his white beard; this frenzied wish to be young again, with glistening raven hair, and a slim waist, such as he had twenty years before; these, wakeful nights and melancholy days, so gloriously brightened if he chanced to catch a glimpse of her sweet face behind the window curtains, as he drove past the surgeon’s house; all these signs gave token of the truth, and told only too plainly that, at the sober age of fifty-five, Sir Michael Audley had fallen ill of the terrible fever called love.

If he ever remembered these things, he dismissed the thought of them with a shudder. It pained him too much to “believe for a moment that any one so lovely and innocent could value herself against a splendid house or a good old title.” (Lady Audley’s Secret, Chapter 1)

The passage I chose to analyze for this blog post is from Lady Audley’s Secret. Early into chapter one, the narrator describes Sir Michael Audley’s first marriage, and his desire to have a young and beautiful wife at the age of fifty-five. The passage vividly describes Michael Audley’s former marriage as “mediocre” by saying “the spark was too dull to be extinguished and too feeble to burn”. Furthermore, it even goes on to say that he might have been secretly relieved by the demise of his wife and sheds a light on Michael Audley’s desires and how his actions have contributed to the things that happen in the novel.

As we know Michael is hopelessly obsessed with Lucy Graham and is blind to her atrocious doings which are happening right under his nose. He is almost a puppet to Lucy’s plans and hunger to have a life of high social status and riches. The way the passage describes Lucy Graham early on in the novel is quite in convention with the gothic genre as Lucy Graham’s features are excessively highlighted and sexualized while it appears she has underlying motivations and also portraying the characteristic of femme fatale. Michael is in denial by the very fact that Lucy’s intentions for marrying him was only for his social status and wealth. Consequently, ending up portraying Michael Audley as a symbol of innocence and naivety and is quite ironic that this is exactly how Lucy Graham was described in the beginning of the novel.

 

Throughout the Speckled Band it is clear that anything foreign or exotic is dangerous and that can be especially seen in the descriptions of Dr. Roylett. “[T]he wandering gipsies” (135) are instantly the first suspect of Holmes and Watson even though Holmes himself admits, “I see many objections to any such a theory” (140). Despite these misgivings, Holmes continues this line of investigation until it is proven completely impossible. He admits this near the end of the story saying, “The presence of the gipsies…were sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong scent” (151).  

Additionally, the ultimate cause of death ended up being a “swamp adder…the deadliest snake in India” (150). The knowledge Dr. Roylott used to kill his daughter “would only occur to a clever and ruthless man who had an Eastern training” (151). To Holmes, an eastern education automatically creates an evil, snakelike person who is ready and willing to kill. Foreignness seems to equate to enhanced nefariousness. Helen Stoner claims, “Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary…and in my stepfather’s case it had, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the tropics” (134).  

I think Arthur Conan Doyle chose to repeatedly portray exoticness as dangerous because at the time the short story was written the British empire was losing power. If England was portrayed as superior to the countries they were losing their grasp on, the British people could still feel superior globally.