In her essay “Suddenly Sexual Women in Dracula,” Phyllis Roth proposes the idea that every instance of a female character expressing herself sexually in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is struck down. Based on the novel itself and several of the film adaptations of the original text it is evident that here several facets of the “New Woman’s” persona began to emerge. What’s interesting about the portrayal of this New Woman though is the fact that she is only seen fully through the female vampires in the narrative.
For the most part all of the women we encounter in Dracula are split between the typical Victorian female figure of the 19th century and her evolved successor. The Victorian woman is categorized a pure, clean, chase, mothering and of course never asserted herself sexually. The New Woman however is independent, well educated, sexually liberated and on the same level as any man. The character Mina Murray in each account seems to be more or less in tandem with these two archetypes. In Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Dracula for instance, Mina appears to be strong-minded and intelligent but at the same time her intellect goes toward helping her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, maintain his business. While this resonates clearly through Stoker’s novel and the other film adaptations, it is specifically clear here—especially during our first encounter with Mina; when discussing how much she misses Jonathan and wished they could have married before he departed, she dabbles slightly with the idea of stepping out of her Victorian role when she expresses desire to go and explore new and exotic countries. Shortly thereafter, this is stifled by a very subtle but still telling few words. “I wonder if we, I mean Jonathan and I, shall ever see them [strange countries] together.” For less than a second, the viewer sees Mina put herself on Jonathan’s level as a person with convictions in that one word, ‘we.’ This is quickly cast aside and she descends back down towards what people of the time would have believed to be her rightful place.
In Tod Browning’s 1931 adaptation of the novel, its seems as though most traces of the New Woman that we see in the text are mostly glossed over. While we still see the three vampire women that come to drink of Jonathan’s blood during the first few nights of his stay as hyper sexualized in comparison to the Mina and Lucy that we encounter, there are not very any other instances in the film that we see any of the female characters as strong or assertive. What this film seems to do primarily is perpetuate the ideals of the Victorian male figure. In this account, we see all the male figures as well educated and it seems as though they take it to be their personal mission to keep the women safe. Even Jonathan Harker, who when one on one with Dracula seems to be rather subdued tries to maintain alpha male status when talking to Mina. Further, there is much more emphasis placed on Van Helsing as a hero coming to Mina’s rescue as opposed to having her emerge as the heroine like she does in the novel.
The only instance in the Browning film that we see even of glimmer of the New Woman is during the falling action; Mina, having been confined to her room after being bitten by Count Dracula is found by her nurse in a fog wandering towards the terrace fully dressed. Jonathan comments that she is more beautiful than ever and looks like a ‘changed girl.’ It is clear in his demeanor that this change is a positive one and his body language indicates that he is more attracted to her before. For a few moments, she seems more confident and verbalizes that she feels more alive than ever. We see her as more liberated and when she leans in for what the camera deceives into thinking may be a kiss (when we obviously know that she’s got more cruel intentions) she is quickly met with horrid looks and dismay from Van Helsing and his men. This is totally logical—of course they want to prevent Jonathan’s transcendence into the vampire world. Looking into the scene a bit more closely though, it appears more as though that they are chastising her for asserting herself sexually. If this were an isolated incident, it could possibly easily be overlooked. However, in context this scene has a definite feel of male oppression over female sexuality and stifling to any inkling of the New Woman that may be present.
Lucy Westenra’s character is interpreted much differently in the Browning version than in the text or in the Coppola film. In the 1931 film, her character seems quite minimal in contrast with the other accounts. This seems to be directly correlated with the fact that the vamped Lucy embodies more traits of a progressive woman than its creators could absorb as truth. This seems so distinct and far removed from her portrayal in the Coppola film where she is hyper-sexualized as foreshadowed by the three vampire women that we encountered within the first few scenes. Even before she is turned into a vampire, Lucy is extremely sexualized; she makes several comments as to knowing what men want and is exceedingly flirtatious in comparison to Mina. Mina also notes that while she is slightly put off by how liberated Lucy is sexually, she is somewhat envious of her freedom.
While the portrayal of Lucy as a sexual being was still progressive, it also seemed like she does not fully embody the qualities of the New Woman. The only characteristic of the more evolved woman that Lucy really has is her being aware of herself as a sexual being. In the Browning film, she appears mostly uninterested in anything scholarly and she is not presented as having any real interests other than men. She is ditzy and seems to flutter from suitor to suitor. This issue seems to lie in the times that both the Browning and the Coppola films were created respectively and the stereotypes that surrounded women during both eras. During the early 20th century when the Browning version surfaced, it seemed as though the idea of the New Woman was brushed to the side and the men in the story take the reigns a bit more than the book leads us to believe. Surprisingly, as far as women have come since those days, the 1992 version of the film doesn’t deviate too far from those rigid gender roles. The message we as viewers seem to receive is clear cut: a woman who is in touch with her sexuality and one who is intelligent cannot be the same person.
With the exclusion of a few of her encounters with Dracula, Mina is seen as docile, sexually unaware and not wholly in command of her intellect as she only uses it to serve Jonathan. Lucy on the contrary is made out to seem like quite the floozy initially and then this hyper sexualized vampire goddess. Both films consequently also send the message about the male perspective on women overall. The girl who is more desired, Lucy, is only so because she seems sexually available in a subtle way. Once she becomes a vampire and is more assertive and challenges male dominance though, she is put to death and traded in for Mina who still embodies the ideal Victorian woman—submissive, chase, God-fearing, and so on and so forth.
It is very interesting how despite the fact that bits and pieces of the New Woman are scattered throughout Stoker’s novel and the Browning and Coppola adaptation of the story. While she is present in some form or character or another in each piece, neither film really ventures as far as to try to capture the essence of her that is portrayed in the novel. And the message that is transmitted through these pieces that a woman can’t be both intelligent and sexually charged is a saddening one.
Sources:
"Suddenly Sexual Women in Dracula." Phyllis Roth (pg. 411, essay in the back of text)
"Dracula: Stoker's Response to the New Woman" Carol A. Senf (JSTOR)
http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.newschool.edu/stable/info/3827492?seq=2&type=cite
Wikipedia for information on: "The New Woman," "The Victorian Woman," and "Victorian Masculinity"
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