Dracula Context
SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL
Anti Catholicism in Gothic Literature:
- English anxious of “papistry” (reverting to catholicism) as Queen Mary(a Catholic) I
attempted to reverse the reformation(Protestant) to become Catholic again.
- English constitutionally anti-Catholic in the 19th century
- Catholics were demonised and blamed for many things in 17th century e.g. great fire
of london and Gunpowder plot
- Gothic authors used this fear and terror and association with supernatural and evil in
their works through characters (wicked abbess, unchaste or pregnant nun, lascivious
monk) and religious edifices (monastery, convent, cloisters, burial crypt -> Dracula
sleeps in crypt)
Aesthetes and Decadence
- Changes in the ideas of masculinity and femininity resulted in a change in artwork.
- Ideas transgressed social norms as embodies ideas of doing things for pleasure
rather than conforming to society.+ Challenge idea of literature’ function of teaching
us values
- Male artists associated with the Decadence movement were often described as
“effeminate” and “unmanly” and were met with social anxieties and disgust by some
critics. Female “New Women” artists were described as having degenerate sexuality.
- The Decadent and the Aesthetes believed in the idea of art for art’s sake (surface
over substance) , causing controversy.
Catholic symbols
- Cross accepted by Jonathan even though it seems idolatrous- Jonathan is an
Anglican Protestant
- The cross- protect Jonothan from Dracula.
- Catholic cross keeping Jonathan safe- challenging anti catholicism
- Dracula perverts the Catholic sacraments- baptism of blood and drinking of blood
Degeneration
- Fear of evolution reversing in biological, racial and cultural supremacy
- The collapse of the British Empire resulted in a disintegration of moral values,
creating fear of devolution
- Dracula incorporates the decline of conservative values and ideas of the Victorian
era.
Deracination
- To remove racial/ ethnic characteristics from something
- At the heart of reverse colonisation is the concept of deracination
- Stoker learned from Emily Gerald Romanians could “dissolve the identities of those
they came in contact with”
- “Apprehension” of British society of deracination that the British would ultimately
dissolve into Romanians, vampires or savages at the heart of the reverse
colonisation narrative.
, - Dracula reflects Romanian dominant personality: vigorous, masterful, energetic,
robust. Also characterises vampires as having robust health and fertility.
- This is contrasted by the lack of these characteristics in the British men- presenting
them as weak.
- Vampires highlight the alarming decline among the British as the undead are more
“healthy and fertile” than the living.
- This is seen by Lucy as when Dracula feeds on her, she is deracinated, but is “re-
recinated” as the British people infuse her with the proper blood.
Empire and Colonisation
- The British empire entered a new era of expansion (“New Imperialism”) which
included the occupation of Egypt and competing with other European countries for
control in Africa.
- The Empire then began to decline, shown by their loss in the Boer War (1899-1902)
and that many Army recruits were physically unfit to serve.
Fin de Siecle
- End of the century particularly the 19th century
- Change from landscape providing gothic tales, instead the human body e.g. Jekyll
and Hyde
- Explores themes of the human mind and body changing and corrupting in response
to the social, evolutionary and medical theories emerging (e.g. Darwin's theory of
evolution).
Homosexuality
- At the time, homosexuality was acknowledged and tolerated, but due to the increase
in public homosexuality a new law was created.
- The Criminal Law Amendment Act (1885) raised the age of heterosexual consent
from 13 to 16
- The Labouchere (MP and journalist) enacted a bill criminalising the act of gross
indecency between men.
- Stoker was believed to be a closeted homosexual reflected in Dracula's sexually
possessive relationship with Jonathan Harker.
- Oscar Wilde, a gay man and friend or potential partner of Stoker, was arrested
following the publication of Dorian Gray and publicly disgraced.
Hypnotism and Mesmerism
- Hypnotism- scientific state where a person responds readily to suggestions or
commands- a bridge between science and the occult
- Mermierism- less scientific/ more occult technique where a person enters into a
trance like state- unexplained and uses animal magnetism (quality of sexual
attraction)
- Gentlemen watch Mina get hypnotised while in her bed (sexual associations) and
description is left very vague.
Reverse colonialism examples
- Dracula researched England but Jonathan does not research Transylvania
SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL
Anti Catholicism in Gothic Literature:
- English anxious of “papistry” (reverting to catholicism) as Queen Mary(a Catholic) I
attempted to reverse the reformation(Protestant) to become Catholic again.
- English constitutionally anti-Catholic in the 19th century
- Catholics were demonised and blamed for many things in 17th century e.g. great fire
of london and Gunpowder plot
- Gothic authors used this fear and terror and association with supernatural and evil in
their works through characters (wicked abbess, unchaste or pregnant nun, lascivious
monk) and religious edifices (monastery, convent, cloisters, burial crypt -> Dracula
sleeps in crypt)
Aesthetes and Decadence
- Changes in the ideas of masculinity and femininity resulted in a change in artwork.
- Ideas transgressed social norms as embodies ideas of doing things for pleasure
rather than conforming to society.+ Challenge idea of literature’ function of teaching
us values
- Male artists associated with the Decadence movement were often described as
“effeminate” and “unmanly” and were met with social anxieties and disgust by some
critics. Female “New Women” artists were described as having degenerate sexuality.
- The Decadent and the Aesthetes believed in the idea of art for art’s sake (surface
over substance) , causing controversy.
Catholic symbols
- Cross accepted by Jonathan even though it seems idolatrous- Jonathan is an
Anglican Protestant
- The cross- protect Jonothan from Dracula.
- Catholic cross keeping Jonathan safe- challenging anti catholicism
- Dracula perverts the Catholic sacraments- baptism of blood and drinking of blood
Degeneration
- Fear of evolution reversing in biological, racial and cultural supremacy
- The collapse of the British Empire resulted in a disintegration of moral values,
creating fear of devolution
- Dracula incorporates the decline of conservative values and ideas of the Victorian
era.
Deracination
- To remove racial/ ethnic characteristics from something
- At the heart of reverse colonisation is the concept of deracination
- Stoker learned from Emily Gerald Romanians could “dissolve the identities of those
they came in contact with”
- “Apprehension” of British society of deracination that the British would ultimately
dissolve into Romanians, vampires or savages at the heart of the reverse
colonisation narrative.
, - Dracula reflects Romanian dominant personality: vigorous, masterful, energetic,
robust. Also characterises vampires as having robust health and fertility.
- This is contrasted by the lack of these characteristics in the British men- presenting
them as weak.
- Vampires highlight the alarming decline among the British as the undead are more
“healthy and fertile” than the living.
- This is seen by Lucy as when Dracula feeds on her, she is deracinated, but is “re-
recinated” as the British people infuse her with the proper blood.
Empire and Colonisation
- The British empire entered a new era of expansion (“New Imperialism”) which
included the occupation of Egypt and competing with other European countries for
control in Africa.
- The Empire then began to decline, shown by their loss in the Boer War (1899-1902)
and that many Army recruits were physically unfit to serve.
Fin de Siecle
- End of the century particularly the 19th century
- Change from landscape providing gothic tales, instead the human body e.g. Jekyll
and Hyde
- Explores themes of the human mind and body changing and corrupting in response
to the social, evolutionary and medical theories emerging (e.g. Darwin's theory of
evolution).
Homosexuality
- At the time, homosexuality was acknowledged and tolerated, but due to the increase
in public homosexuality a new law was created.
- The Criminal Law Amendment Act (1885) raised the age of heterosexual consent
from 13 to 16
- The Labouchere (MP and journalist) enacted a bill criminalising the act of gross
indecency between men.
- Stoker was believed to be a closeted homosexual reflected in Dracula's sexually
possessive relationship with Jonathan Harker.
- Oscar Wilde, a gay man and friend or potential partner of Stoker, was arrested
following the publication of Dorian Gray and publicly disgraced.
Hypnotism and Mesmerism
- Hypnotism- scientific state where a person responds readily to suggestions or
commands- a bridge between science and the occult
- Mermierism- less scientific/ more occult technique where a person enters into a
trance like state- unexplained and uses animal magnetism (quality of sexual
attraction)
- Gentlemen watch Mina get hypnotised while in her bed (sexual associations) and
description is left very vague.
Reverse colonialism examples
- Dracula researched England but Jonathan does not research Transylvania
