Throughout the course of 1897, the Worker's Compensation Act is passed. This led to Britain's modern laws to benefit those facing injuries or other workplace-related grievances. Liability and worker's rights are a large part of the social reformation occurring at this time in Britain.
In 1852 Samuel Beeton and his wife Isabella created the first cheap magazine for middle class women. Going for around 2d per paper, it included topics such as cooking, fashion, serial fiction, biographical sketches, gardening, and medical tips. It was an immediate success, circulating over 50,000 copies by 1856.
On December 19, 1857, Mary Seacole, a freelance nurse caring for British Soldiers in the Crimean War, was featured in the British Library Newspaper Archive for her strength of character and kindness that was unlike Florence Nightingale. After the war, she returned to England very ill. The article describes fundraising events to help support this sickly war heroine.
Stoker writes out his horror story about the "wampyr" Dracula. Stoker was partially inspired by the story of Prince Vlad of 1400's Romania, also known as "Vlad the Impaler". Sketches of the Middle Ages portray Vlad sitting down to dinner while large quantities of people are being impaled (including babies).
Stoker was born into the Great Famine, which took place during the years of 1845-1849. This led him to develop a feeling of mistrust towards Britain because they did not assist their neighboring country in a time of trauma and hardship.
At this time in history, the ruler of Britain was Queen Victoria. During her reign, she saw a lot of social and economic changes that influenced Britain at that time. These changes started the change in Britain's Industrial Power and expanded the British empire.
"'Well I know that, did I move and speak in your London, none there are who would not know me for a stranger. That is not enough for me...a stranger in a strange land, he is no one; men know him not--and to not know is to care not for. I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he see me, or pause in his speaking if he hear my words, to say, 'Ha, ha! a stranger!'" Dracula relies on Jonathan Harker's knowledge of London and his expertise in the English language in order to better himself before he moves so he does not seem like an outsider. This aspect of the novel represents Stoker's fear of a social reformation and invasion because Dracula is trying to integrate himself into society so much to where he will not be distinguishable from any other citizen of London. That way, he can corrupt the city from the inside without any indication that he influenced the change at all.
"'I long to go through the crouwde streets of your mighty London, to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is.'" This quote shows that other people are eager to invade Britain and be a part of its society because they are intrigued by its beauty. No matter what, though, if they enter London, they will in some way become a catalyst for the upcoming change in this Victorian Society and how it functions. They will infect the society with their sinful ways and trepidation to the point of no return. Dracula portrays the figure of a human, but does in no way embody humanity.
"‘Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?’" With this comment that Lucy makes so early in the novel, we can already start to note the contrast between Lucy and Mina's characters. Lucy is completely open with her sexuality and establishes the model for upcoming change in society, while Mina illustrates purity and is ultimately the perfect representation of what a Victorian era women should embody. The fact that Stoker creates this contrast so early in the novel suggests that this will be influential later in the story. It is not until the fates of the two women are compared that we discover Stoker's reasoning behind the opposite personalities. He wanted to demonstrate that Lucy's sexualized nature and the choices she makes would eventually cause her demise, while Mina's contrasting characteristics of chastity and purity would ultimately save her in the end from Dracula's temptation.
This is the cover of the original first edition released for this work. In its first year, it is sold for six shillings. By this point in time, vampires are already a literary household name, particularly in Gothic Fiction. None, however, has been created so like Stoker's: his supernatural qualities and ancient aristocratic background create a monster no one has seen or tried to understand before. From hereafter, Dracula is never out of print.
Jonathan Harker, or as a stranger calls him, "The Herr Passenger", begins his journey to Transylvania (modern-day Romania). His initial entry is very self-oriented, speaking of things that the strange passengers around him seem comparatively unaffected by. We see through his perspective the shift of the story's focus from the narrator to the scene that this work is entitled after: Dracula.
"These may be the last words I ever write in this diary. I slept till just before the dawn, and when I woke threw myself on my knees, for I determined that if Death came he should find me ready." Here, Harker realizes that he cannot defeat Dracula alone - Dracula is correct when he says that there are "some things which modernity cannot kill" earlier in the book. Harker must decide whether he truly represents modernity, considering the pit of superstitious fear which consumes him. He recognizes the crossroads in front of him: he must find and embrace a strength beyond the realm of modernity and tradition and use it to destroy Dracula, or he must submit fully to Dracula. This scene is a huge turning point for Harker. Would you decide to turn back or give in? What do you think would overpower someone with both supernatural and animalistic abilities?
"'As I expected,' [Van Helsing] murmured...[he] began to set out on the little table the instruments for yet another operation of transfusion of blood. I had long ago recognized the necessity, and begun to take off my coat, but he stopped me with one warning hand. 'No!' he said. 'To-day you must operate. I shall provide. You are weakened already'" (126). This novel contains a struggle between the male and female characters for the role of power and dominance. The men in the novel are supposed to exhibit dominance over the females, but because the men love Lucy and want to preserve her traditional gender stereotype of needing protection, they actually reverse the role of power by indirectly putting Lucy in control. Their love compels them to do anything for her, making her hold dominance over them. This quote reveals how the men would sacrifice their lives to preserve Lucy's saintly demeanor rather than let her fall into Dracula's grasp of temptation and sexualization. They each take turns giving her blood transfusions, making them sickly, just to save her soul from damnation and keep her normal gender stereotype from being tarnished.
Prior to entering the graveyard, Van Helsing arms his men with crucifixes, holy wafers, and garlic. The influence of both Catholic ritual and traditional vampire folklore is used to fend off the evil spirits.
"Aurthur placed the point over [Lucy's] heart...Then he struck with all his might. The thing in the coffin writhed; and a hideous, blood-curling screech came from the opened red lips. the body shook and quivered and twisted in wild contortions; the sharp white teeth champed together till the lips were cut and the mouth was smeared with crimson foam...[Afterwards], [t]here in the coffin lay no longer the foul Thing that we had so dreaded and grown to hate...but Lucy as we had seen her in her life, with her face of unequalled sweetness and purity." Stoker had a fear of Britain being invaded by sin and temptation during the Victorian era, and that women would fall victim to the temptation of sexuality. Because Stoker associates sexuality with sin, he created Lucy's character to be highly sexualized in the novel, demonstrating the consequences of straying away from the traditional gender stereotypes of this time by ultimately getting terminated for her transgressions. He had the intention of illustrating how immoral these societal changes were and how they needed to cease, otherwise society will soon face the same fate as Lucy. But just as Stoker shows how unsupportive he is of these changes, he demonstrates that if this act of sexuality is extinguished, then 'sweetness' and 'purity' will overtake these women once again.
"She still advanced, however, and with a languorous, voluptuous grace, said:—“Come to me, Arthur. Leave these others and come to me. My arms are hungry or you. Come, and we can rest together. Come, my husband, come!” There was something diabolically sweet in her tones—something of the tingling of glass when struck-which rang through the brains even of us who heard the words addressed to another. As for Arthur, he seemed under a spell; moving his hands from his face, he opened wide his arms." This passage explains Dracula's plan for domination of Britain through the attractiveness of sex and pleasure. Like he stated earlier in the book, Dracula will overcome the men's wives and lovers, and by doing that, he will eventually take over the men as well through pure temptation and seduction from the women. Lucy uses her sexual energy to create a hold over Arthur, and the indirect promise of sexual gratification, to get him to join her on the 'dark side' where sin lives freely. This is influential to Stoker's fear of social reformation because he believes that once the women fall victim to the lure of sex and temptation, they will create such attractiveness for sin that others will follow in their path because it seems so glorified and exciting. The sweetness in her voice creates a sense of security in the victims and invites them into her world of immortality, just like the seductive and sinful nature of women in Britain invites the men to fall victim to the temptation of change.
"'The Host. I brought it from Amsterdam. I have an Indulgence' [Van Helsing]. It was an answer that appalled the most skeptical of us, and we felt individually that the presence of such earnest purpose as the Professor's, a purpose which could thus use the to him most sacred of things, it was impossible to distrust." This portrays how the Roman catholic Church was influencing the conversion of Protestants during this time. Stoker feared that this reformation would give too much power to the Roman Catholic Church.
"'Ah, that wonderful Madam Mina! She has man's brain - a brain that a man should have were he much gifted - and woman's heart'" (Stoker 240). Van Helsing pays Mina the ultimate compliment: he says that she has a "man's brain" and a "woman's heart," thereby embodying the highest qualities of both sexes. His compliment reflects the traditional Victorian stereotypes of men and women.
This is the first organized activity supporting votes for women were in the 1860s, but it increased in popularity in the 1880s. It began because the National Central Society for Women's Suffrage and the Central Committee for Women's Suffrage merged into the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. They opposed violence and promoted their organization as law abiding and above all other parties.
"Our dear Madam Mina is once more our teacher. Her eyes have seen where we were blinded" - Dr. Van Helsing This quote demonstrates how Mina is straying from her typical Victorian gender roles. She has become more powerful than the male protagonists in the novel, and this is not typical of women from her time. By showing how Mina is straying from her gender roles, Stoker is again demonstrating his fear of a social reformation in Britain.
"Count Dracula's problem is to get back to his own place." - Mina This quote symbolizes how Stoker was fearful of a British social reformation. Mina is saying how she thinks that Dracula should go back to his own country and then describes how they should go about getting him back to his own country.
“[They] each held ready to use [their] various armaments, the spiritual in the left hand, the mortal in the right” (Stoker 362). With these items in hand, they changed the face of the battle with Dracula, for they now all of the power lay in their hands. They approach Lucy’s grave and prepare themselves for their first win against evil.
"The sun was now right down upon the mountain top, and the red gleams fell upon my face, so that it was bathed in rosy light. With one impulse the men sank on their knees and a deep and earnest "Amen" broke from all as their eyes followed the pointing of his finger. The dying man spoke, "Now God be thanked that all has not been in vain! See! The snow is not more stainless than her forehead! The curse has passed away!" And, to our bitter grief, with a smile and in silence, he died, a gallant gentleman." This is the moment where Harker helps defeat Dracula with the help of Mina, Holmwood, Morris and Van Helsing. Their ability to work together (a herd instinct of sorts) is what makes it possible for Dracula to be defeated. They move together like chess pieces, protecting each other almost completely successfully (Morris dies later from injuries). This moment also portrays that it is not about modernity or tradition when it comes to cyclical (un-ending) power: it comes down to animal instincts that naturally combat Dracula's animalistic dominance.
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