Dracula as a Metaphor of Opposition to Modernism - Research Paper Example

? Dracula as a Metaphor of Opposition to Modernism Introduction The concept of identity in novels is one which is portrayed by the philosophies of the author as well as the cultural and social affiliations of the time. There are specific concepts that are associated with different novels to define the time frame and to challenge the concept of identity. A novel which portrays this concept is Dracula by Bram Stoker. This novel is able to create a sense of identity through theories that were known while the book was being written in the late 1900s. Two of the theories that Stoker calls on are feminism and Marxism. These two theories are displayed through the plot, characters and results which occur through the book. The ability to create an understanding of these movements is able to further define concepts of identity while challenging the divisions in society in terms of feminist and Marxist thought. This research paper will examine the movements of feminism and Marxism and how these were opposed in the novel of Dracula. The author creates an understanding that the changing identities in the political and social movements would lead to a downfall in society and would create opposition. The author is able to show that, while the philosophies of these movements would be aesthetically pleasing, there was an undertone that would lead to difficulties within society. By creating an understanding of the horror which would be caused through the social movements, there is a link to individuals holding onto the Romantic ideals and the purity of the past instead of moving into the modern approaches. Examining this with the relationships to feminism, Marxism and the psychoanalytical approach the author takes creates a thorough understanding of the philosophies taking place in society at the time. Historical Affiliations with Dracula The basis of Dracula is regarded as one that is affiliated with the novel based on drama and terror through the main character. The character of Dracula is known to haunt those that come into contact with him through trapping them in his castle or torturing and murdering them with different concepts. However, the context that this book is written in moves beyond the horror and drama that is often associated with the book. It is also known that the author had a specific link to the cultural context of the time, specifically which was prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The concepts were first based on the shift into modernism as well as the older concepts which applied to this, such as the Gothic. The descriptions and approach that Stoker uses is defined by relating to others in a bizarre form, similar to the Gothic style. However, the modernist cultural context relates this to the changing beliefs in relationships between the sexes and the need to change concepts such as social class that were emerging at the time. Combining the emerging philosophies of the time frame then created a different understanding of the book which links directly to the anthropology of the culture at this time frame (Riquelme, 585). The concepts which are associated with the history of Dracula then become important not only in defining the drama and horror that was a part of the Gothic period. More important, was Stoker’s desire to create an analysis of cultural identity of the time and how this led to some of the horrors of the time. This linked to many of the changes occurring at the time in Europe, specifically beginning with political changes that were moving to revolts and the desire to have freedom for the common man. The state that was being created was based on socialism, where everything was owned by a more powerful individual and in which others were subjected to the problem. The policies which were created then led to questions about identity and the social state of individuals, specifically with women having the same rights as men and workers being able to overcome the political states in society. The cultural identity of the book then moves beyond the horror and into the specific social challenges that were a part of the time frame (Light, 746). The further ideologies taking place during this time frame related to the Romantic and Victorian identity that was in society. This called on the emotions to create a specific understanding of identity. The emotions linked to what was considered good or evil in society and was able to redefine what individuals believed in terms of their own relationship to society. The change of the Victorian identity came by challenging the social status of individuals in society while creating an understanding of what should be questioned in society. The movement outside of this identity was based on creating a sense of equality and being more open and free with the status which each individual held. Creating a demand for those in society and creating a deeper understanding of equal rights within society began to base the framework for the time. The opposition to this was based on those which held to the Romantic identity and which created a belief that the system and society which was currently in place was effective in meeting every individual’s needs (Graf, 211). The challenge with Dracula is based on keeping the Romantic and Victorian identity while challenging what the changes would do to society at the time. Defining the Feminism in Dracula The first way in which Stoker challenges the cultural context of the time and the changes into modernism is through the concept of feminism. The approach which Stoker takes is based on developing a response to the new woman. The role of feminism was one which was beginning to develop during this time, specifically with the desire for women to not live in suppression and to have the same rights as men. This particular approach was based on the movement outside of Victorian rule in which women were expected to be proper and to not be seen or heard in society. While the feminist movement began to be seen in society, were also responses such as from Stoker. This analyzed the movement as one which was open to women not only having the same rights as men. There was a more open approach to the sexuality of women and the potential hostility which women had because of the identity which they held. The portrayal was further developed on the other side with women having the image of being the heroine or victim in the literature, which displayed the suppression and overcoming of this image through societies’ beliefs (Senf, 33). The first association with women and their sexuality is with the journal of Jonathan Harker. Harker finds himself in the castle of Dracula and a prisoner to his vices. As the journal continues, one finds that Jonathan becomes subjected to the brides of Dracula. Each displays their interest and affection to Jonathan from open sexuality while hostility remains with them. This idea shows the feminist movement as one that is monstrous when it takes the wrong form. When writing about this, he states “I am alone in the castle with those aweful women. Faugh ! Mina is a woman, and there is nought in common. They are devils of the Pit!” (Soker, 54). The comparison that is made is with the women who are the brides of Dracula and how they are open sexuality and attitude toward men doesn’t offer anything but them being as devils. The perception of Mina as one who differs from the women is seen as uncommon, showing the opinion of the feminist movement as opposed to the Victorian woman who doesn’t show the open hostility or sexuality that is not considered the correct mannerism by men in society at the time. Women and Otherness The basic concepts of feminism that are approached by Stoker continue to divide with the accepted attitudes of women and those that are opposed. The feminist ideologies which are beginning to play a part at the time also create a sense of otherness. This is the woman that is misunderstood or is unable to have the characteristics accepted by society because of her new demeanor. The otherness of the gender of women is based on creating something that is marginalized or misunderstood. This is displayed throughout the novel by showing women who are oppressed through the novel while others are trying to overcome this oppression. In both instances, there is a state of otherness and the inability to be understood within society. This development creates an outside world and identity of women who don’t have a place in culture or society. This is what causes them to either be monstrous or to respond in a manner that is not expected within the culture and society. Creating this division throughout the book becomes a main display of the changes into feminism at the time and the movement into the unknown identity of gender that was transforming in society (Hatlen, 80). This particular concept is noted in Dracula, specifically through the character of Mina Maloy. Throughout the novel, Mina is recognized as the oppressed woman. However, she is also noted as pure and one that is righteous and doing everything as good. When Mina is in complete consciousness, she remains as a devoted and pure fiancee to Harker. However, the Dracula begins to take over her and seduce her, causing her to move into a trance and to lose her devotedness. This becomes a concept related to the otherness where she moves from the known and devoted woman to her fiancee. However, her seduction from the Dracula causes her to move into a marginalized state where she can’t recognize her own identity. This is not only noted with Mina’s changing identity but also the response from others. If she remains in the repressed state then she can live with Jonathan. However, if she becomes a part of the otherness, then she won’t have the same rights. “So I said farewell to Mina, a parting which neither of us shall forget to our dying day: and we set out. To one thing I have made up in my mind: if we find out that Mina must be a vampire in the end, then she shall not go into that unknown and terrible land alone” (Stoker, 297). The known of Mina is when Jonathan says goodbye to her and parts in a way that neither will forget. This shows the oppressed woman who is loyal to her husband and has a sense of purity. Right after, Jonathan changes the tone to the horror of otherness. This is one in which Mina may be a vampire and which she has to go into the unknown. This change of identity also changes the tone Jonathan carries for her and notes that the otherness of her identity is one which creates misunderstandings and a gap between the two. Another representative of the otherness of gender throughout the novel is with Lucy. The difference with Lucy is with the defining of otherness that gives her the gender identity that remains separate from others. When beginning, Lucy is found as a woman who has the same oppression as other women, specifically through the proposals she gets from suitors. However, this mysteriously changes in a way that no one can understand. When Lucy changes into the other, there is a movement into the horror of the unknown. This comes from Lucy deciding not to remain oppressed with the marriage and identity which she is to carry. This conscious switch she makes turns her into a vampire and causes her to be lost to the other. The gender division then leads to her death because of her movement into open sexuality, hostility and into the marginalized characteristics of the vampire. “She seemed like a nightmare of Lucy as she lay there; the pointed teeth, the bloodstained, voluptuous mouth – which it made one shudder to see – the whole carnal and unspiritual appearance, seeming like a devilish mockery of Lucy’s sweet purity” (Stoker, 214). Similar to the division into otherness of Mina, Lucy displays how the change into the feminist approach is one which becomes horrific. This is because it becomes the other that is misunderstood. The other moves away from the purity of the oppressed and into one which has a hostility and horrific look because it is misunderstood. Similar to the movement of feminism at the time, there was a division in gender into offering more to women that would lead to a horrific end, specifically because the movement for women seemed horrific at the time. Sexuality and Feminism Each of these movements in Dracula not only showed the philosophy toward feminism and the cultural changes occurring at the time. To oppose the main ideologies even more were senses of sexuality that linked to feminism. This was one of the main philosophies that were based on the change being made at the time. The Victorian age was one which was based on the oppression of women’s sexuality and having a level of appropriate behavior in terms of sexuality. However, the feminist movement combined the approach to opening toward women’s sexuality instead of having it an oppressed ideology in society. Gender and sexuality began to intertwine with the feminist movement and the rights which women believed they should have. The perspective taken was one which created the sense of purity, specifically which all the women had when beginning the story. The changes which occurred were based on the seductions of Dracula, which turned the women into ones which had a more open sexuality. Dracula had a sense of sexual competition that was furthered with this by his several brides and with the seductions he carried through with when killing the women in the novel. The feminist perspective of this is one which challenged the identity of gender through sexuality, specifically by opposing the competition and openness toward sexuality and gender. Showing this as horrific, as opposed to the rights of women then combined with the changes which were occurring in the culture at the time (Stevenson, 139). This particular concept is not only seen with the women in the novel but also with the response from Jonathan. When seeing the women that held the sexual competition with Dracula and which were a part of this particular plot, there is an understanding of women that didn’t have the purity and which tried to seduce men freely. It was the belief that this would be associated with the growth of feminism and gender identity at the time, leading to the horror of otherness with gender identity. Overcoming the open sexuality and moving back into a sense of purity then became the main association with the men who were trying not to compromise the sexuality of women that remained pure. A moment seen with Jonathan fighting this is when he meets one of the brides of Dracula. “She was so fair to look on, so radiantly beautiful, so exquisitely voluptuous, that the very instinct of man in me, which calls some of my sex and love and to protect one of hers, made my head whirl with new emotion. But God thanked, that soul - wail of my dear Madam Mina had not died out of my ears” (Stoker, 370). This shows how the movement of feminism is one which also threatened the primal instincts in men while creating sexual competition among women. The belief which the author shows is based on the understanding that the instincts of men led to the need for women to not move through feminism. If so, then it would cause more difficulties among both men and women in the true expression of sexuality. The Sex / Gender System The concepts of otherness, feminism and the misunderstandings of gender as identity become more important with the beliefs that were created during the time in terms of building the right power relations among women. The Victorian and Romantic Era were known to build a sense of the sexual and gender system. For this time frame, this was based on the place of women in the home and to help with men that were in society. This was combined with the applications of a patriarchal system that were expected during this time. The change of the gender system was also one which constituted a threat to those in society specifically because it would lead into unknown functions with the culture of the time. The sexual system which combined with this was based on the need for women to hold a specific space within society in terms of purity and obligation to their husbands. This was combined with the gender system, which led to specific tasks that both women and men should have in society. It was believed that this was a primal instinct that should not be broken or challenged. The movement into feminism and modernism was a threat to this system and the sexual and gender expressions that were unknown at the time (Parker, 28). The concept of the sex and gender system in Dracula is shown from both sides. The system which functions best come from Mina and Lucy when they allow the men to control the patriarchal system while creating a space in which they are subjected to the needs of women. This was combined with women that moved outside of this. The sexual system which they overcome was the free sexuality and seduction to the Dracula, followed by the gender system of having freedom in the Castle of Dracula. Each of these led to difficulties and a sense of evil in the book and challenged whether feminism should take place. The upset in the system came specifically from women moving outside of gender identity and going into a promise that looked better because of the seduction. When this is seen through Lucy and Dr. Seward, there is an understanding that the break in the patriarchal system is what kills Lucy and leads her into the seduction of something better, eventually leading to her loss in life. When Dr. Seward is remembering Lucy’s loss, he states, “I gave what you gave; the blood of my veins; I gave it, I, who was not, like you, her lover, but only her physician and her friend. I gave to her my nights and days – before death, after death; and if my death can do her good even now, when she is the dead Un – Dead, she shall have it freely” (Stoker, 207). This display is important in showing that the gender relationships had a system. The devotion of Dr. Seward to Lucy and the expectation of having the gender of the woman he is in love with to have the same system is the basis of the relationship. When this is broken, it causes the main problems with the gender relations and the ability to remain free and true to the gender identity and expectations between the genders. Marxism and Dracula The concept of Marxism in Dracula is similar to the feminist component and what this means to society at the time. Marxism was beginning to develop as a theory this time and was being shown through revolutions and the need for the common man to gather strength with the changes in politics and other concepts of the time. Marxism was similar to feminism in calling out the repressed and oppressed and giving a place within society. The representative of Marxist thought becomes a part of the other through the repression that is in the book. This is combined with those belonging to Marxist thought being the Dracula. The Dracula character represents the misunderstood and the other which takes over those in society with horrific movements and actions. The concept then leads to the Dracula becoming the physical, culture and social representation of the other that is both repressed and oppressed within society (Hollinger, 409). The concept of Marxism and the Dracula is not only seen with the repressed and the otherness of the character. When described, he is able to hold a certain power over others because of his unknown entity. The representation of Marxism through the Dracula comes from the characters ability to oppress others while being repressed in society. He becomes the metaphor of Marxism because of the treatment of others and the unfair applications that are a part of this. The author is able to show opposition to this social movement, specifically by showing how it will lead to control, oppression and horror within society. He shows this with narrations such as: “This was a Dracula indeed! Woe was it that his own unworthy brother, when he had fallen, sold his people to the Turk and brought the shame of slavery on them!... What good are peasants without a leader? Where ends the war without a brain and a heart to conduct it?” (Stoker, 30). The Dracula in society is described as one that holds slavery, sells others and causes even his own family to fall. This is the opposition to Marxism that Stoker draws on. This is seen next through the statement of the peasants that don’t have a leader. This refers directly to how the Dracula becomes the philosophy of Marxism and how this repression will lead to the fall of society through repression. Aesthetics Against Marxism The belief that Marxism is one which will lead to the downfall of society is one which the philosophies build on by creating the aesthetics with Marxism. At the time of Dracula moving into society, there was a belief that Marxism was the end to oppression within society. The political and social movement was one which was defined as being an answer to end the slavery and other problems that the common men were facing. This ideology was one which created a belief among politicians that changing society to these beliefs would cause balance of those oppressed in society. However, the approach taken with Dracula shows that the perfect solution found through Marxism was an aesthetically pleasing solution. The author presents an ideology that shows the beauty of Marxism that is unable to be matched with the truth about what Marxism would cause. The aesthetics of Marxism is one that the author believed would lead to a bad end with the approach taken in politics (Wilt, 107). The Dracula becomes a representation of the aesthetics of Marxism through the demeanor and beliefs created. The metaphor is noted through the castle that Count Dracula lives in. Even though this is described as Gothic, most are drawn to it for the aesthetic appeal. The demeanor of the Dracula has the same beauty that is described. The author is able to show how the aesthetics of this leader is one which may look pleasing to many and which can seduce those in society. This is noted from the time when Jonathan meets the Dracula after his journey. “The light and warmth and the Count’s courteous welcome seemed to have dissipated all my doubts and fears” (Stoker, 18). This initial description is one which is shown as pleasing and which looks like the perfect offer from a superficial level. However, the romantic ideas end when the Dracula shows his true character that is underneath the problem. Similar to the ideas of Marxism, the aesthetic solution to politics looks like it fits. However, after this would come into the mechanics of what was needed, it would cause horror from the leadership created, similar to the leadership of the Dracula. Being Inhuman with the Dracula The descriptions of repression and the difficulties associated with the Dracula through the novel further represent the philosophies against Marxism with the understanding that the Dracula isn’t human and can’t understand the problems of men. The political link is one which shows that Marxism, even though looking pleasing on the outside, was an illusion of what humans needed at the time. The inability to have values and social experiences become more important in describing the problems with Marxism and the associations of the government. The need to have a leader with the Dracula also could be described as a downfall and horror within society that would kill off everything good in society. The vampirism is able to represent the ideas of Marxism and how it is not a solution that is concerned with humanism and needs within society. Instead, the new philosophy in society would suck the blood out of the things which were good in society. The illusion of the changes in politics being good is the main opposition that then leads to the belief that the Marxist thought didn’t allow those in society to have a human experience, but instead to become slaves to the leaders of politics (Boone, 17). The idea of human experience is noted through Jonathan as he finds the aesthetically pleasing character of Dracula to be false. The first part of this is with the Dracula allowing others to show the monstrous side as they take the victims. Others he seduces and makes them believe that his leadership is correct. At the same time, Dracula never changes his characteristics and welcoming demeanor to those who are coming into the castle. The only way in which one can notice this is to test the human side that the vampire has. Jonathan defines this at the beginning after he has decided to leave the castle. “I suspected him, and determined to test his sincerity. Sincerity! It seems like a profanation of the word to write it in connection with such a monster” (Stoker, 49). This is one of several examples where the Dracula is seen as the perfect answer, such as Marxism. However, when testing basic human attributes, such as sincerity, there is the inability to create a human link that shows the right attributes. Similar to Marxism, there is a lack of humanism in the attributes and philosophies that are created within society and which cause a true human spirit to be available to those under the leadership. Exploitation and Marxism The representation of the Dracula as Marxist in begin is furthered with the thoughts of what Marxism would do to those who were in society at the time. The feudal system was the main way in which the politics were run. The opposition to this was created with many who believed they should have the needed rights with others. However, the Dracula figure is one that uses the slavery ideology to exploit those who were underneath. The main ideology was to create a Marxist system that would exploit the peasants and common workers. As this was done there would be the ability to create a belief that they belonged to the Marxist system. The idea of exploitation through the Dracula becomes significant because of the ability to show how there was a belief through those who didn’t have the right knowledge to fall under the aesthetics of the political system. However, the belief of the author was that this was exploiting those who didn’t know the system to drain everything out of them and to create them as slaves for the political system. The myth of the vampire then relates to the entity of the politicians that are able to exploit, use and move those in society into a system of slavery, even though the system established would be under a different name (Icoz, 68). Psychoanaylsis, Feminism and Marxism The viewpoint of Stoker through the Dracula and the protagonist characters doesn’t only define the oppositions into modern thought and politics taking place. There were also other associations that Stoker used to show how both of the movements were threatening to those in society. Stoker used concepts of Romantic thought to create this, specifically which was still regarded at the end of the Victorian age and created an emotional response to everything occurring. The approach which Stoker took to define this was based on the horror and romanticism in the novel. There was a strong gap between both sides, showing specifically that the changes in society would create horror while romanticism should come back. When defining the Dracula persona and the movements into feminism from the women, there is also an association with the horror that this would create. Each of these movements directly relate to an action that associates with anxiety and difficulties with each of the characters. However, the expressions that are created with the older viewpoints of Romanticism are what allow the characters to survive throughout the novel and define the pure and good as opposed to the horrific. The technique used was to show an emotional gap between the two, specifically to cause a sense of fear of those in the social and cultural arena and to show a crisis that would occur if the changes into modernism continued to rise (Bloom, 331). The concept of creating anxiety against the good is directly attributed to the Dracula and his representation of Marxism and the seduction into feminism. These different concepts are seen with the knowledge about the Dracula that is not seen at first but is slowly uncovered in the book. The image that is portrayed is one which draws on the anxiety that is based on Romantic emotions and superstitions of the time. The narration alludes to this as the other and the unknown and continues to show how the representations of the Dracula can lead to a downfall within society if not combated against. “The Draculas were, says Arminus, a great and noble race, though now and again were scions who were held by their coevals to have had dealings with the Evil One…. In the records are such words as ‘stregoica’ – witch, ‘ordog’ and ‘pokol’ - Satan and hell” (Stoker, 241). Creating the anxiety through the romantic notion of evil becomes a main force with the novel and helps to create a gap between the anxiety of good and evil. The anxiety of evil is representative of the Dracula while the good is those that remain in the Romantic and pure form. By drawing on these emotions, there is the ability to create a stronger opposition to the Marxist and feminist movements taking place at the time. Expanding PsychoAnalysis into Social Opposition The psychoanalytical association that is created with Dracula moves even further with the strong opposition to both feminist movements and Marxism. When reading the novel, one can easily associate the Dracula with the movement of politics and the association with women. Throughout the novel, Dracula is described as a leader and belongs to a castle. When there are associations with others, it becomes based on seduction and love toward women that exploits the identity of gender. This is furthered with the belief that the Dracula is carrying the power. The psychoanalysis of this is based on creating a fear around the power that is created and how this can destroy all potential identity that is within society. Creating this fear then leads to a fear of the change of political leadership and the exploitation of Marxism occurring at the time. The fear is furthered with creating an understanding of the feminist links and how this may lead to methods of destruction of the true identity of women by creating otherness. By continuing to create this fear through the horrific scenes and the narration, there is the ability to create an emotional response from the reader that opposes the movements and changes occurring at the time (Seed, 61). A way in which this is presented is by creating fear and anxiety first through the vampire actions then from the responses of others. The death that the characters face becomes one of the areas of anxiety and fear that the author expands on. The death; however, is brought in horrific situations and is one which the characters fight against, specifically to fight against the Dracula. The emotional response is to show how if one follows the ways of the Dracula that it can lead to death. The warning that the author creates is to show that the changes will lead to death and that this is not worth fighting for because the Dracula is similar to a monster that is disguised and killing others. “Were death, or the fear of death, the only thing that stood in the way I would not shrink to die here, now, amidst the friends who love me. But death is not all. I cannot believe that to die in such a case, when there is hope before us and a bitter task to be done, is God’s will” (Stoker, 330). The narration that Stoker uses is one that creates a psychoanalytical response. This is created through death, which comes specifically with the belief that Marxism and feminism and the movement into modernism will cause death. The narration points out that these things are not worth dying for and instead, one should keep the human attributes of hope and love. By creating this narration, there is the ability to create an emotional and psychoanalytical response from the readers to move against the political changes and the concepts such as feminism. The approach taken by Stoker was to create a strong opposition to feminism and Marxist viewpoints. To do this, there was a movement back into the Romantic while holding onto the threats which were a part o the changing systems at the time. Using the psychoanalytical as a main tactic is important in recognizing the opposition which the author had to the changes which were occurring in society while acknowledging the belief which the author had based on the opposition of the changing systems. The narrative efforts, the plot which is built and the downfall of each of the characters is what adds in not only to the horrific problems. It also creates an understanding that movements into feminism, Marxism and other forms of modernist change would lead to the same horror in society. The novel is then able to create a pessimistic view of what will come if individuals in society begin to change the culture and system already established. The Dracula figure becomes a metaphor for the Marxist thought and the changes into feminism while the characters are the psychological relationship that builds the message that each of these movements should be resisted while the old systems of identity should be held onto for safety and functioning within society. Conclusion The concepts of feminism and Marxism in Dracula define an opposition to the new identity that is created. The author uses a variety of techniques to show the resistance to the movement into modernist ideas. When opposing feminine thought, there is an understanding that the changing sexual and gender system will pose a threat on the relationships and identity in society. This creates a sense of otherness among the women who move into feminism, specifically because of the open sexuality and the hostility which is shown. This is combined with the purity that is kept of women who don’t break the system of gender in the novel. The author continues to portray the opposition of changes in society, specifically with the Dracula representing the ideology of Marxism and how this political movement will exploit and tear down the safer system now established. The author not only presents this to his audience by showing the differences in each side. There is also direct opposition that is shown by creating a psychoanalytical approach that challenges the changing systems and the movement into Modernism taking place. Using the Gothic and Romantic ideologies and challenging the new changes within this then allows for a challenge to readers to be created, specifically with the identity which many began to accept during this time frame. References Bloom, Harold. “Incorporated Bodies: Dracula and the Rise of Professionalism.” Edwardian and Gregorian Fiction. Infobase Publishing: New York, 2005. Boone, Troy. “He is Englih and Therefore Adventurous: Politics, Decadence and Dracula.” Studies in the Novel (25), 1993. Davison, CM. “Valuable Vampire Volume.” Science Fiction Studies 13 (3), 1998. Davison, CM. “Dracula in Academe.” Science Fiction Studies 12 (1), 1997. Graf, E.C. “Necrophilia and Materialist Thoughts: Romanticism’s Anxious Adornment of Political Economy.” Journal of Cultural Studies 2 (2), 2001. Hatlen, Burton. “The Return of the Repressed / Oppressed in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The Minnesota Review 15, 1980. Hollinger, Veronica. “Twenty One Ways of Looking at a Vampire.” Science Fiction Studies 17 (3), 1990. Icoz, Smith. “Vampires: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil.” Probing the Boundaries. Interdisciplinary Press: UK, 2005. 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Abe Books: New York, 1997. Wallace, EK. Encyclopedia of Feminist Literary Theory. Routledge: New York, 2009. Wilt, Judith. “The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature.” Studies in Romanticism 21 (1), 1982. Annotated Bibliography Bloom, Harold. “Incorporated Bodies: Dracula and the Rise of Professionalism.” Edwardian and Gregorian Fiction. Infobase Publishing: New York, 2005. This article defines the concepts of Dracula and how this relates to the political and social realms of the time. It specifically is able to create a relationship between the character of Dracula and how this was used as a metaphor for those who were looking at the actions which were taken throughout the novel. Boone, Troy. “He is English and Therefore Adventurous: Politics, Decadence and Dracula.” Studies in the Novel (25), 1993. This article was used to define the concepts of Dracula and the way in which the characteristics were representative of the other in politics. Dracula in this article was able to create an understanding of how the concept of Dracula was linked to the political and Marxist opposition of the time. Davison, CM. “Valuable Vampire Volume.” Science Fiction Studies 13 (3), 1998. This article defined the concept of the vampire and what it meant to different cultures and in different context. The information was able to create an understanding of the time frame in which Dracula was written. Davison, CM. “Dracula in Academe.” Science Fiction Studies 12 (1), 1997. This article created an understanding of the meaning and definition of Dracula. It was able to identify the interpretations of Dracula in a different context and setting and outside of the science fiction, dramatic and novel basis. Graf, E.C. “Necrophilia and Materialist Thoughts: Romanticism’s Anxious Adornment of Political Economy.” Journal of Cultural Studies 2 (2), 2001. This article was used to define the time frame and the opposition into modernism and change which was occurring at the time. The ideology was based on the understanding of the Romantic time frame and the politics which were associated with this. This article was used to understand the politics, opposition to change and the Romantic ideologies of the time. Hatlen, Burton. “The Return of the Repressed / Oppressed in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” The Minnesota Review 15, 1980. This article created an understanding of the repressed and oppressed in Dracula. With this theory, there was the ability to create an understanding of the oppressed in society and what this meant in terms of politics and cultural affiliations. This also linked to the feminist ideologies that were in society at the time and how this was defined by the oppressed. Hollinger, Veronica. “Twenty One Ways of Looking at a Vampire.” Science Fiction Studies 17 (3), 1990. This article was used to define the different metaphors of the Vampire and Dracula. It created a definition and understanding of the actions of the vampire and how this represented the opposition to political and feminist change. Icoz, Smith. “Vampires: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil.” Probing the Boundaries. Interdisciplinary Press: UK, 2005. The article describes the myths behind the vampire and what was represented in literature with Dracula. The concept of evil was one which was then able to define the resistance to concepts within society and the opposition to what was considered evil in terms of cultural and political issues. Light, Duncan. “Dracula Tourism in Romania Cultural Identity and State.” Annals of Tourism Research 34 (3), 2007. This article was used to describe the concept of Dracula in terms of cultural identity. It was used specifically to identify the opposition to cultural changes and how the Dracula was a representative of the unknown cultural identity. Marchbank, P. “Dracula: Degeneration, Sexuality and the Jew.” Interdisciplinary Press 17 (2), 2005. This article defined the concept of identity in terms of feminism and how this linked to Dracula. The article defines the ways in which the Dracula created a sense of the other in terms of feminism and sexual identity. Martin, W. “Dracula: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism.” Modern Language Studies 17 (3), 2004. The article was used to create an understanding of the history of the Dracula and what it represented in terms of culture. The concept of Dracula during this time frame was used to identify the main identity of Dracula and how he became a metaphor for the other. McCrea, B. “Heterosexual Horror: Dracula, the Closet, and the Marriage Plot.” A Forum on Fiction 71 (3), 2010. This article was used to identify the concept of the other in feminism and how this linked to the idea of the Dracula. The feminist concepts and the emerging recognition of women’s rights at the time are noted, as well as how the Dracula was the presentation of this otherness and the horror women’s rights. Parker, Andrew. “Unthinking Sex: Marx, Engels, and the Scene of Writing.” Social Text (29), 1991. This article was used to identify the concepts of Marxism and feminism that were a part of the time frame of the writing of Dracula. Specifically, it points out the opposition to the idea of modernism and how it relates to the identity of the Dracula. Riquelme, John Paul. “Toward a History of Gothic and Modernism: Dark Modernity from Bram Stoker to Samuel Beckett.” Modern Fiction Studies 46 (3), 2000. This article identifies the techniques and context that was written with Dracula. The concept of Gothic, opposition to Modernism and the ability to add in the Romanticism of the past are identified through the writings of Stoker. Seed, David. “The Narrative Method of Dracula.” Nineteenth Century Fiction 40 (1), 1985. This article describes the narrative techniques that were used in Dracula. It specifically identifies how the narrative is used to create a psychoanalysis of the character and the plot that takes place. Senf, Carol. “Dracula: Stoker’s Response to the New Woman.” Victorian Studies 26 (1), 1982. This article identifies the idea of feminism and the new woman that was beginning to emerge at the time of writing Dracula. The main point is to show the opposition to feminism and how this was leading out of the gender based system at the time, which caused opposition and a movement into otherness for gender based identity. Stevenson, John Allen. “A Vampire in the Mirror: The Sexuality of Dracula.” PMLA 103 (2), 1988. This article describes the sexuality that is in the novel Dracula and how this relates to feminism and the opposition to changing gender roles. There is an understanding of how repression of women and the identity of gender should continue to carry the same purity, while the idea of the vampire was the movement into feminism. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Abe Books: New York, 1997. This book is the main novel which was used and analyzed in terms of feminism and Marxism. The analysis of the paper is based on the writing of Stoker and the ideologies he presents with the movement into modernism. Wallace, EK. Encyclopedia of Feminist Literary Theory. Routledge: New York, 2009. This encyclopedia identifies concepts of feminist theory and how it relates to different novels. There is a direct link to the story of Dracula and the feminist viewpoints it carries. Wilt, Judith. “The Living Dead: A Study of the Vampire in Romantic Literature.” Studies in Romanticism 21 (1), 1982. This article describes the concepts of the vampire and how this relates to Romanticism. The vampire is one which presents the techniques of Romanticism and which also associates with the movements against modernism and changes occurring within society. Research Questions 1. The main point in this paper is the idea of Dracula and how this is a representation of feminism and Marxism at the time. Specifically, Stoker uses Dracula as a way to oppose the cultural and political movements of feminism and Marxism. He does this through the use of metaphor and with psychoanalytical techniques. 2. The effort focused in this paper was divided into three sections. The first was in identifying the viewpoints of feminism in Dracula. The second was with the identity of Marxism in the paper. The third was with the relationship between the two and the literary techniques and psychoanalysis used to create an understanding of the author’s opposition to modernism and changes in society. 3. The specific elements that please me most with this essay are based on the analysis of theories and how this relates to the story. The most interesting parts were created by defining specific theories and finding how this related to the novel of Dracula. 4. The concept of psychoanalysis which was a part of the essay concerns me most. While it helps to tie together the argument, it seems that there are some gaps or missing elements that would have helped to create a stronger argument. 5. The aspects which helped me most in writing this paper first came from the foundations in class and the direction which was offered in writing the paper. The elements outside of class were based on my personal understanding of feminism and Marxism and my interest in the novel of Dracula. 6. The feedback I would like about my paper would be based on what the strengths and weaknesses of the paper are in each section. If there are missing theories that may combine with Dracula, then I would be interested in knowing. Gathering even more perspectives about the theories and relationship to the novel continue to interest me in my research. Read More