This thesis explores the depiction of the ‘other’ and foreignness in Stoker’s Dracula by examining the representation of the Dutch Abraham Van Helsing and the American Quincey Morris, rather than...Show moreThis thesis explores the depiction of the ‘other’ and foreignness in Stoker’s Dracula by examining the representation of the Dutch Abraham Van Helsing and the American Quincey Morris, rather than focusing on the titular character.Show less
This thesis researches to what extent traditional vampire folklore and the vampire myth as established in Dracula have shaped the twenty-first-century image of the vampire in the best-selling...Show moreThis thesis researches to what extent traditional vampire folklore and the vampire myth as established in Dracula have shaped the twenty-first-century image of the vampire in the best-selling Twilight Saga, as well as in the recent Vampire Academy series of novels. The main focus lies on the initial shaping of the vampire image. It critically explores the changes added by Bram Stoker, Stephenie Meyer, and Richelle Mead in order to ascertain the influences of modern-day authors' fantasy writings. It shows that the work of Meyer and Mead plays a pivotal role in the vampiric humanization process within the twenty-first century. In this process the vampire moves from evil zombie-like monster in vampire folklore, to Dracula's solitary aristocrat, to Meyer's society struggling with moral/ethical choices, to Mead's Fully socialized, modern world.Show less
This thesis discusses Victorian gender roles in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Victorian Era had strict ideas about gender roles, which can...Show moreThis thesis discusses Victorian gender roles in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Victorian Era had strict ideas about gender roles, which can be seen in the literature from that time. Jane Eyre is the earliest novel that is discussed and it presents a complex view of masculinity and femininity. It might seem, at first glance, that the characters are mostly conforming to the gender roles, but it becomes clear that the lines between both genders are blurred. This is also the case in Middlemarch, where meddling wives and insecure husbands destroy their own marriages and happiness. This nuanced view of both male and female characters defies the rigid gender roles of the time. Dracula, on the other hand, is focussed on femininity rather than masculinity. Manliness is still important in the novel, but the main focus is on the transformation women undergo when they are turned into vampires. The perfect woman turns into an evil seductress when she is bitten by Dracula, and her misdeeds are harshly punished. This black and white view of femininity, or gender in general, is absent in the other novels.Show less
