Keywords for Research: “Dracula”
For my research topic, I am focusing on feminism within Dracula, exploring how the female characters are empowered or disempowered throughout the novel. I am interested in analyzing their agency, what the female and male characters believe to be the “ideal woman” (gender roles), and the “New Woman”. Additionally, I want to research how these characters were influenced by the time period Stoker was in.
Keywords:
- New Woman: n. A woman who is considered different from previous generations; esp. one who challenges or rejects the traditional roles of wife, mother, or homemaker, and advocates independence for women and equality with men (OED).
- Feminism: n. A) Feminine quality or character; femininity. B) Advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex.
- Femininity: n. Behavior or qualities regarded as characteristic of a woman; feminine quality or characteristics; womanliness.
- Sexuality: n. A) The quality of being sexual or possessing sex. B) A person’s sexual identity in relation to the gender to which he or she is typically attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual; sexual orientation.
- Social Role: n. The characteristic or expected social function of a person or thing, esp. in a particular situation or environment.
- Liberation: n. A) The action of liberating (esp. from confinement or servitude); the condition of being liberated; release. B) Freedom from restrictive or discriminatory social conventions and attitudes.
- Individuality: n. A) An individual entity; spec. a person considered as the possessor of an individual or distinctive personality. B) The sum of the attributes which distinguish a person or thing from others of the same kind; individual character or quality. C) The fact or condition of existing as an individual; separate and continuous existence as a single indivisible entity.
- Angel: n. A pure, innocent, or morally good person; a person of exemplary virtue or conduct.
- Heroine: n. A woman distinguished by the performance of courageous or noble actions; a woman generally admired or acclaimed for her great qualities or achievements.
Articles:
Senf, Carol A. “‘Dracula”: Stoker’s Response to the New Woman.” Victorian Studies, Vol. 26, №1, 1982. Indiana University Press. Jstor, https://www.jstor.org/stable/3827492?casa_token=OlHp7e__nrcAAAAA%3AlsQRpQF7QYIcn6-5z_gjF0GHux36jJkIDarTdVtC98RlUVrWtwNc3VfcYUPj_LGeMJfDrXY-PLAdX6abp7p8zHRek2RTGNAeo4gyDMxladiJjyMaLz_r&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Ledger, Sally. The New Woman: Fiction and Feminism at the Fin de Siècle. Manchester University Press, 1997, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=e0i8AAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=dracula+feminism&ots=RxUMJIb2ZJ&sig=ZwaUJfLWXMbUElIte3ZHcEf7LcA#v=onepage&q&f=false
