The 'New Woman'

The 'New Woman' in Victorian Society

Part of Victorian society’s concerns for the future at the end of the 19th century centred around the changing role of women. Historically, this society had been very patriarchal.

Mary Wollstonecraft on women

A hundred years before Stoker published Dracula, Mary Wollstonecraft (the mother of Mary Shelley) published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) advocating equality between the sexes.
Her works were to inspire the Suffragette movement in the early twentieth century and the first wave of feminism.

The ‘New Woman’ concept

A precursor to the feminist movement was the idea of the ‘New Woman’ - these were middle-class women who aspired to more than domestic and childbearing roles expected of them by their society.
In Chapter 8, Mina refers to the concept explicitly in her journal, stating how she and Lucy would have “shocked the ‘New Woman’ with our appetites” during an afternoon tea in Robin Hood’s Bay.

The 'New Woman' - Mina

Some people interpret Mina’s character as fulfilling the role of the ‘New Woman’: at the novel’s opening, she works as an assistant schoolmistress and she is an aspiring writer and practises shorthand.
Some critics think that newspaper article detailing the storm at Whitby was ‘written’ by Mina. Female journalists and writers in the Victorian era often published their work anonymously because of the widespread belief that the public would not accept works from female writers or that they would be ridiculed by male readership.

The 'New Woman' - Mina

Mina arranges all of the documentation on the Count into a logical order and she acts as Van Helsing’s secretary during the meeting where the heroes vow to destroy Dracula.

Fear of Independent Women and American

Victorian society was also concerned with increased independence for women.

Sexual promiscuity

Some people believe that the sexual promiscuity of the female-vampires in Dracula may reflect Victorian society’s fears over increased independence for women.

Wariness of Mina

Whilst initially helpful to the male heroes, and despite Van Helsing declaring that has a “man’s brain”, they do not include Mina in all of their plans and, once she is tainted by Dracula, they become increasingly wary of her.

The 'Gibson Girl'

The alluring beauty of the female-vampires may also be a reference to the American concept of the ‘Gibson Girl’ - a representation of idealised feminine beauty, drawn by artist Charles Dana Gibson.

The threat of the USA

As a country, the United States of America was still in its relative infancy (although it would eventually challenge the supremacy of the British Empire).
In this way, the threat to the traditional status quo of the Empire does not just come from Dracula and the east, but from the growing influence of America, too.

1Context - Gothic Literature

1.1Origins & Conventions of Gothic Literature

1.1.1Origins of Gothic Literature

1.1.2Key Ideas in Gothic Literature

1.1.3Gothic Genre Conventions in Dracula

1.2Vampires in Gothic Literature

1.2.1Vampires

1.3'Terror' & 'Horror'

1.3.1Ann Radcliffe & Lewis' The Monk

1.3.2'Terror' & 'Horror' in Dracula

1.4Narrative Features

1.4.1First-Person Narration & Epistolary Format

2Context - The Victorian Era

2.1The Victorian Era

2.1.1Fin de Siecle

2.1.2The 'New Woman'

2.1.3The Contagious Diseases Act

3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

3.1Chapter Summaries & Analyses

3.1.1Chapters 1-2

3.1.2Chapters 3-4

3.1.3Chapters 5-7

3.1.4Chapters 8-10

3.1.5Chapters 11-12

3.1.6Chapters 13-14

3.1.7Chapters 15-16

3.1.8Chapters 17-18

3.1.9Chapters 19-20

3.1.10Chapters 21-23

3.1.11Chapters 24-25

3.1.12Chapters 26-27

4Character Profiles

4.1Archetypal Gothic Characters

4.1.1Stock & Proppian Gothic Characters

4.2Count Dracula

4.2.1Count Dracula: Character Profile

4.2.2Count Dracula: Different Literary Perspectives

4.3Other Main Characters

4.3.1Jonathan Harker

4.3.2Dr Abraham Van Helsing

4.3.3Dr Jack Seward

4.3.4Mina Harker

4.3.5Lucy Westenra

4.4Minor Characters

4.4.1Arthur Holmwood & Quincey Morris

4.4.2Renfield

5Key Ideas

5.1Key Ideas

5.1.1Transgression of Boundaries

5.1.2The Supernatural & Un-dead

5.1.3Masculinity & Femininity

5.1.4Science, Modernity & Superstition

5.1.5Madness, Illness & Confinement

6Writing Techniques

6.1Writing Techniques

6.1.1Epistolary Form & Narrative Voice

6.1.2Intertextuality & Cultural References

6.1.3Structure

7Critical Debates & Interpretations

7.1Initial Reception of Dracula

7.1.1Initial Reception of Dracula

7.2Modern Reception of Dracula

7.2.1Modern Reception of Dracula

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