class in 'dracula'

context

written in 1897

Victorian age - expressed by high morality

celebrated by the upper class

more than ever felt superior to the lower classes

socioeconomic problems struck society

great scientific progress

richer upper class, but lower classes remained poor

final result was a strong belief in materialism for people who thought scientific progress was important

growing interest in Roman Catholicism and spirituality for thse who were skeptic of science

society was increasingly divided into rich and poor

poor problems increased

one of the reasons the church lost its power and influence on the majority of society

England invaded other countries to increase colonization

most powerful country in the world

men felt superior to women

women were supposed to be opressed repressed and supressed by men

meant to stay at home, care for the family and not work

women were meant to be the 'angel of the house' pure, good, motherly

couldnt have any opinions

most of the characters are members of the ruling class - the aristocracy

lower classes dont occour in the novel (excluding Dracula's gypsies)

they were unimportant in the era, and it was impossible to mix social ranks

marriage was arranged with love, but also social rank and money

Arthur Godalming represents the Victorian upper class

represents wealth, money, tradition and generosity

gives money to defeat Dracula

named after 'King Arthur'

Godalming = 'God almighty' he is important

'my life is hers, and i would give the last drop of blood in my body for her' 128

has all the qualities expected of a member of the upper class

polite, generous, full of courage

'he is too true a gentleman' 242

Johnathon embodies all Victorian ideals

strength of his youth, strong belief and faith

as a lawyer he represents the state and is a member of a professional class

stands for law, order and knowledge

strong belief in good things of life and deeply faithful

wants to give strength to people with doubts

Lucy represents a woman of the upper class

young, beautiful woman of a rich family with a respectable name

brought up with a good education

3 marriage proposals show that she is appealing

Mina is of the middle/ working class

attractive and well educated

humble, practical, clever

puts honest effort into working to make a living

Stoker juxtaposes Lucy and Mina to shed light on the two types of Victorian women: stereotypical woman (Lucy) and the 'new woman' (Mina)

becomes Dracula's first victim

becomes a slave to her sickness - dies - becomes a vampire

Mina is not a victim of Dracula's bite

lives to help solve the mystery

Stoker kills off the wealthy character and lets the lesser class character live - symbolic of the stratified social classes of this era, merging towards a more unified existence with more broken social barriers

upper class characters are killed off while lower class characters continue to live

Upper class characters all die fairly suddenly (anyone who embodies upper class characterisation

Lucy, Mrs Westenra, Mr Hawkins, Arthur's father

Johnathon and Mina escape death, vampirism and still have a baby

lower characters live and procreate whie richer ones cant.

Stoker expresses the urge for the three dimensional characters to triumoh at the end

Dracula believes he is superior to everyone

prides himself on family history - page 25

by presenting his family and himself as integral to the national fate of Romania

tries to prove to Johnathon that he is deserving of his noble blood and therefore respect

wants to migrate from an impoverished, uninfluential nation to the world's most powerful country

even though he is powerful among his own people, he is unsatisfied

''peasant is at heart a coward and a fool.' 20

to be able to subjugate the people of the world's most powerful country would finally prove Dracula worthy of his ancestor's bloodline

feels superior to commoners - classist tendencies

'we Transylvanian nobles love not to think our bones may lie amongst the common dead' 71

disdain for commoners is so great that he is comforted that even in death they wont mix

mirrored in the way he treats the common woman whose baby he steals

lets the wolves eat her, her blood will taint him

sucks Lucy's blood, she is not a commoner

doesnt want to interact with people with common blood

storytelling is forensic

fragmented story into a variety of narrators relects Dracula's spreading influence

once in England his evil spreads, resulting in a cacophony of voices

parallels between Lucy (human) and Dracula

Lucy has 3 marriage suitors - 'why cant they let a girl marry 3 men'

Dracula has 'three young women, ladies by their dress and manner'

Lucy relies on blood to survive (blood transfusion)

Dracula relies on blood to survive (feeding)

suggest that anyone is capable of being a monster

Lucy must break the hearts of two men

supernatural is not so far from humanity

Dracula and vampirism were not within moral Christian values in England

Stoker uses Dracula to embody these foreign and dangerous values into Western culture

begins a reign of terror in Romania which slowly infiltrates into Western society

superiority of British society

townsfolk of the East are aware of the danger within their nation

'it is the eve of St Georges Day'

Johnathon dismisses them

Dracula is seemingly a battle of good vs evil, but really is a battle of the classes

he is a quintessential aristocratic figure who also prides himself on superior bloodlines

irony that the poeple who slay him are of assorted nationality, gender and economic privelidge

interacions betweem characters of various socioeconomic status are due to class based prejudice in society

social disparity between men and women

3 female vampires are kept by Dracula, which reflects hyperboliically of the role of women at the time

permission from a male superior was always needed

average Victorian woman wasnt concerned with hunting prey

shows Johnathon more hospitality than the female vampires, whom he 'keeps'

interested in the knowledge he brings

by Dracula's standards the female vampires should be elevated above Johnathon's social status

Lucy's blood donations are taken in descending order of social status

Aruthur

Seward

Van Helsing

Quincey

member of the gentry

working class doctor

foreigner

American

ironically ends up being the most celebrated hero among the men

lower class citizens are vindicated at the end