Paper Summary:

This paper argues that there are only two kinds of women in Stoker's Dracula: Virgins and Whores. The female vampires in the novel are overly sexualized and lascivious. This paper argues that it is these characteristics that make the vampires so fearful to the men in the novel. Therefore, the overthrow of Vampirism is an overthrow of sexual freedom.

From the Paper:

"The men in Dracula initially idealize Mina as the perfect woman. Van Helsing says, "She is one of God's women fashioned by His own hand to show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that its light can be here on earth. So true, so sweet, so noble, so little an egoist". Mina is gratuitously praised and held to be an angel; she seems to do no wrong. Even her intellect is complimented as being on the same level as that of a man's. Van Helsing says, "She has a man's brain " a brain that a man should have were he much gifted " and woman's heart". Yet, the group, after so complimenting her, immediately decides to exclude her from their fight against Dracula."

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