Dracula and Gender Distrust by Braham Stoker “Unpleasant experiences with the opposite sex seem inevitable” (Horney 342). This quote from Karen Horney's essay Gender Distrust seems to be about Dracula. Although her essay (a lecture originally given to the German Women's Medical Association in November 1930) does not directly mention Dracula, the points she made can be carried over into Bram Stoker's Dracula. In his essay, Horney argues that men are very concerned with their own self-preservation and also have an innate fear of women in positions of power and therefore do what they can to prevent women from obtaining "positions of power”; both of these points are applicable to Dracula. Karen Horney observes that “because of our self-preservation instinct, we all have a natural fear of losing ourselves in another person” (340). This is evident in Dracula when Lucy knows that her “bad dreams” (Stoker 109) occur at night and therefore she has “the pain of insomnia, or the pain of fear of sleep” (Stoker 132). She is afraid that if she sleeps, Dracula will appear and make her “get lost”. Stoker's Dracula character defies Horney's above statement, probably because he is not "human". He has “a heart that knew [sic] neither fear nor remorse” (302). However, the retention clause still applies. He was very adamant in his desire to study John Harker, so that he could pass for a native Londoner. Harker achieved his place in the Count's plan while remaining at the castle. Harker says "this was the being I was helping to transfer to London, where, among its millions, it could quench its bloodlust and create a new, ever-widening circle of half-demons to fight... .. middle of paper ......th process? (348). Although Dracula was written 30 years before Horney's essay, it is very fascinating to reanalyze the novel after reading the essay. We can see Horney's two assertions (that men are very concerned with their own self-preservation and that men have an innate fear of women in positions of power) come to life in Dracula. She even mentions “vampires” in her essay (343), but the context is different; it does not refer to Stoker's novel. These two works, analyzed together, constitute a most engaging Gothic classic that is all the more interesting. Works Cited: Horney, Karen. “Distrust between the sexes”. A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for Academic Writers. 5th ed. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998. 337-351. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. (London: 1897) introduction by George Statde. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.

Essay / Dracula and Gender Distrust by Braham Stoker “Unpleasant experiences with the opposite sex seem inevitable” (Horney 342). This quote from Karen Horney's essay Gender Distrust seems to be about Dracula. Although her essay (a lecture originally given to the German Women's Medical Association in November 1930) does not directly mention Dracula, the points she made can be carried over into Bram Stoker's Dracula. In his essay, Horney argues that men are very concerned with their own self-preservation and also have an innate fear of women in positions of power and therefore do what they can to prevent women from obtaining "positions of power”; both of these points are applicable to Dracula. Karen Horney observes that “because of our self-preservation instinct, we all have a natural fear of losing ourselves in another person” (340). This is evident in Dracula when Lucy knows that her “bad dreams” (Stoker 109) occur at night and therefore she has “the pain of insomnia, or the pain of fear of sleep” (Stoker 132). She is afraid that if she sleeps, Dracula will appear and make her “get lost”. Stoker's Dracula character defies Horney's above statement, probably because he is not "human". He has “a heart that knew [sic] neither fear nor remorse” (302). However, the retention clause still applies. He was very adamant in his desire to study John Harker, so that he could pass for a native Londoner. Harker achieved his place in the Count's plan while remaining at the castle. Harker says "this was the being I was helping to transfer to London, where, among its millions, it could quench its bloodlust and create a new, ever-widening circle of half-demons to fight... .. middle of paper ......th process? (348). Although Dracula was written 30 years before Horney's essay, it is very fascinating to reanalyze the novel after reading the essay. We can see Horney's two assertions (that men are very concerned with their own self-preservation and that men have an innate fear of women in positions of power) come to life in Dracula. She even mentions “vampires” in her essay (343), but the context is different; it does not refer to Stoker's novel. These two works, analyzed together, constitute a most engaging Gothic classic that is all the more interesting. Works Cited: Horney, Karen. “Distrust between the sexes”. A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for Academic Writers. 5th ed. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998. 337-351. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. (London: 1897) introduction by George Statde. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.

Navigation

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

Get In Touch