This thesis aims to show that vampires of Bram Stoker’s Dracula are the victims of a patriarchal society, as well as a reaction to the upcoming feminist ideal of the New Woman during the fin de...Show moreThis thesis aims to show that vampires of Bram Stoker’s Dracula are the victims of a patriarchal society, as well as a reaction to the upcoming feminist ideal of the New Woman during the fin de siècle. Additionally, this thesis will show that the framework of the gothic empowers gender nonconforming men and women by subverting Victorian expectations surrounding marriage and gender. Stoker did not denounce the New Woman, but instead recognized the patriarchal Victorian society as a gothic structure that oppressed any man or woman who did not conform.Show less