Dracula and Rebecca Essay Plan for Women: Females as
victims
Intro
Gothic writing uses characters to represent societal expectations and fears. Bram Stoker's
1897 novel Dracula and Daphne du Maureier’s 1938 novel Rebecca categorise females into
the character archetypes of the femme fatale or the damsel in distress. Perhaps the
narrators are drawing on societal fears of changing gender roles from the pure and chaste
traditional women to hedonistic female “others”.
Points:
1. Damsels in distress typically lack agency, and often become victims of the villain of
the novel, who seek to destroy their innocence.
➔ Mina embodies the Victorian feminine ideal.
➔ Some New Women qualities- intelligence and initiative tracking down and
defeating Drac- but still socially acceptable behaviour + within bounds of
social convention.E.g. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
➔ Mina is a victim of Dracula’s desire- stained purity imagery “white nightdress
smeared with blood” + Dracula-”clad in black”.
➔ D threat to British soc- take the innocence of women, which British men must
protect- they do this by leaving her out of plans- “no part for a woman”
➔ Like D, Maxim withhold info about Rebecca to preserve “funny, young, lost
look”
➔ Narrator victim of Mrs D- constantly compares her to R + encourages her to
jump out of the window. Smiles evilly after the ball scene.
➔ Hitchcock adaption- narrator wears lighter colours- similar to Mina- purity.
➔ DiD trope used to show female helplessness and present women as victims.
2. The femme fatale archetype describes women who do not conform to the sexually
repressed expectations of society; instead, they act as the ‘coquette’, becoming
villainised through their failure to align with societal values.- not victims
➔ Lucy transforms to “wanton” “cruelty”- Gentlemen unable to control her- fear
as she is not dependent on them
➔ Projection of social fears surrounding sexually promiscuous women - Stephen
D. Arata “threaten patriarchal hegemony”
➔ Lucy presented as having voracious sexual appetite- fin-de-siecle fears of
changing female stereotypes
➔ Lucy dehumanised as vamp- like R- as they both do not conform to gender
norms.
➔ Reflect 2nd wave feminism- advocated for sexual choice and freedom-
threaten patriarchy.
➔ R villiansed- cant have children (like how Lucy subverts maternal instincts)-
subvert feminine ideal- cruel
➔ Hitchcock adaption- R’s death seems like accident- enhance maxim’s
innocence and R’s villainy
➔ Women are only victims if they conform to society.- femme fatales are sexual
and cruel women
victims
Intro
Gothic writing uses characters to represent societal expectations and fears. Bram Stoker's
1897 novel Dracula and Daphne du Maureier’s 1938 novel Rebecca categorise females into
the character archetypes of the femme fatale or the damsel in distress. Perhaps the
narrators are drawing on societal fears of changing gender roles from the pure and chaste
traditional women to hedonistic female “others”.
Points:
1. Damsels in distress typically lack agency, and often become victims of the villain of
the novel, who seek to destroy their innocence.
➔ Mina embodies the Victorian feminine ideal.
➔ Some New Women qualities- intelligence and initiative tracking down and
defeating Drac- but still socially acceptable behaviour + within bounds of
social convention.E.g. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
➔ Mina is a victim of Dracula’s desire- stained purity imagery “white nightdress
smeared with blood” + Dracula-”clad in black”.
➔ D threat to British soc- take the innocence of women, which British men must
protect- they do this by leaving her out of plans- “no part for a woman”
➔ Like D, Maxim withhold info about Rebecca to preserve “funny, young, lost
look”
➔ Narrator victim of Mrs D- constantly compares her to R + encourages her to
jump out of the window. Smiles evilly after the ball scene.
➔ Hitchcock adaption- narrator wears lighter colours- similar to Mina- purity.
➔ DiD trope used to show female helplessness and present women as victims.
2. The femme fatale archetype describes women who do not conform to the sexually
repressed expectations of society; instead, they act as the ‘coquette’, becoming
villainised through their failure to align with societal values.- not victims
➔ Lucy transforms to “wanton” “cruelty”- Gentlemen unable to control her- fear
as she is not dependent on them
➔ Projection of social fears surrounding sexually promiscuous women - Stephen
D. Arata “threaten patriarchal hegemony”
➔ Lucy presented as having voracious sexual appetite- fin-de-siecle fears of
changing female stereotypes
➔ Lucy dehumanised as vamp- like R- as they both do not conform to gender
norms.
➔ Reflect 2nd wave feminism- advocated for sexual choice and freedom-
threaten patriarchy.
➔ R villiansed- cant have children (like how Lucy subverts maternal instincts)-
subvert feminine ideal- cruel
➔ Hitchcock adaption- R’s death seems like accident- enhance maxim’s
innocence and R’s villainy
➔ Women are only victims if they conform to society.- femme fatales are sexual
and cruel women
