Women in Dracula

The women in 'Dracula' (well tbh there's not that any of them) perhaps can be sorted into the whole Madonna/whore thing. There's Mina who's on the shy and retiring side and who can't wait to hear news of her dear Jonathan blah blah blah... yeah I know it kinda sickens me too. Anyway, I suppose her purity and virtue are supposed to be a contrast to Dracula's brides mentioned earlier in the novel, who it seems are trying to seduce Harker-perhaps tempting him to break his vow of chastity before marriage? It's not particularly surprising that the 'whore' label is established for these women who suck blood and are on the evil side; women in this situation are traditionally displayed as 'sirens', luring men to the dark side where they can have their way with them. As to Lucy, well, I'm not entirely sure of how we should view her. I mean, she is preyed upon by Dracula, who it seems only feasts on the pure and innocent, but then she's had three suitors at the same time, which to me is a little on the 'whore' side possibly?

I think the way women are portrayed in the novel is definitely influenced by the way Stoker viewed them. Clearly he disliked the rise of the feminist or 'New Woman' movement as the virtuous and oh so sweet Mina is very critical of them, sarcastically remarking how these women believe they should have an equal role to men in marriage and would even do the proposing themselves. The idea that women are either pure and virtuous or evil temptresses within a Gothic novel does not surprise me, as here Dracula must feed on the pure and, as seen in the case of Lucy, transforms them into this evil persona. On the other hand, men are of of little use to Dracula in this respect as they do not seduce women and bring them to the dark side but can still be used by him as menial servants, as seen with Renfield.