Women and Children First: The Complexity of Societal Change in Dracula and NOS4A2

This article focuses on how a reading and interpretation of Dracula can inform the reading of NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. NOS4A2 is written as a reinterpretation of the vampire myth and draws heavily from Stoker’s classic novel. Charles Manx, the villain of Hill’s novel, has many similarities with Dracula in his appearance, but their abilities of what make them a “vampire” are vastly different. By looking at Dracula as a critique of the 1890s society and interpreting views about women in regards to their sexuality and independence, one can start to understand the comments that NOS4A2 makes on modern culture and its views on childhood innocence and the desire of preserving that innocence indefinitely.Bachelor of Art