Dracula: Demons, Victims and Heroes : A Discussion of the 21st Century Feminine Reader Response

Dracula was written by Bram Stoker in 1897 but in this thesis I will discuss the different interpretations that can be achieved using reader response theory. More specifically how gender affects these reader responses. It is a detail analysis of how a feminine reader with a 21st century perspective can achieve different reactions to the text than that of the previous masculine and patriarchal readings that have been common in the past. This approach to Dracula has shown in more detail how the current representation of vampires in our culture has come to pass. Dracula was one of the first vampire novels, but it was by no means the last, and the current fascination with vampires is a direct result of ‘reading’ them in a feminine way. It shows how in Dracula demons, victims and heroes, with a new perspective, become tragic, misunderstood and patriarchal oppressors. Also that it is through an integration with the text itself and reading in a feminine way that we are able to see them that way