Other
How The Bloody Chamber and Dracula presents female sexuality NEA (FULL MARKS 50/50)
- Course
- Institution
- Book
Full marks NEA on female sexuality in Dracula and The Bloody Chambers.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
The Gothic OCR A Level English Dracula/The Bloody Chamber
-
Dracula Themes Quote Bank
-
Dracula / The Bloody Chamber 59/60 A* OCR English Lit notes
Seller
Follow
rukhsaryazmin
Reviews received
Content preview
Rukhsar Yazmin final draftCompare and contrast the ways in which Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’ and Bram Stroker’s
‘Dracula’ presents female sexuality.
Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel ‘Dracula’ and Angela Carter’s collection of stories ‘The Bloody Chamber’
were written almost 100 years apart, with Stroker’s ‘Dracula’ paving the way for popular gothic and
vampire literary horrors and Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’ drawing on contemporary feminist
issues in order to create a subversive collection of fairy tales transformed. Dracula details the
conflict created when a diabolical and charismatic vampire travels to England, threatening the sturdy
foundations that the society holds, whilst The Bloody Chamber focuses on numerous female
heroines with Carter presenting traditional fairy tales manipulated into a fantastical and violently
sexual series of stories exposing the true experiences of these women. Female sexuality is seen to be
a key theme within both texts, the expected norms of women within each text being both
conformed to, but also revolted against.
Stoker’s use of the Gothic genre lends itself to an exploration of female sexuality within a tale of
horror and monstrous beings. Those monstrous beings are often women. Typical to even the earliest
Gothic novel, female sexuality is repressed beneath a mandate of purity and virtue, and is used as a
tool for entrapment, as any woman who expresses her sexuality is accountable for the ensuing of
evil. This is evident in the transformation of Lucy Westenra, a young, beautiful and desired female
character, who is also a key symbol of female sexuality within the play. Lucy is initially described as
the essence of virtue, possessing a “face of unequalled sweetness and purity”. However, the
insinuation of her susceptibility to the seduction of Dracula ultimately leads to her downfall, as when
bitten and turned into a vampire, she transforms into a sensual and amoral femme fatale. The
supernatural and monstrous nature of Lucy is seen to coincide with the typical Gothic aesthetic as it
is distinguished that her hair is now ‘dark’, her “sweetness…turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty,
and purity to voluptuous wantonness”. The juxtaposition conveys the parallels of society’s
expectations, as purity and obedience is represented through light and beauty, but promiscuity and
sexual agency is represented through darkness and evil. Stroker presents that amorality and sin is
associated with feminine sexuality and eroticism, thus condemning the sexual desires of women.
This is evident in the highly disturbing imagery of Lucy, now the ‘un-dead’, throwing a child, whom
she was previously cradling within her arms, onto the ground. The image of Lucy and a child mirrors
the typical expectation of a mother- child relationship, one that is usually regarded as being
nurturing and natural but has now been horrifically destabilised by Lucy, who is presented as a
symbolic mother, harming the child she would naturally have protected. Evidently, Lucy’s atrocious
transformation is used within the Gothic plot in order to foretell the consequences faced if female
sexuality is not contained within the structure of patriarchy.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller rukhsaryazmin. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $33.19. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
56326 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now