DRACULA Driving Deeper | Victorian Gender Roles

The‬‭ Victorian‬‭ era‬‭ spans‬‭ Queen‬‭ Victoria’s‬‭ 63-year‬‭ reign‬‭ over‬‭ Great‬‭ Britain‬‭ and‬‭ Ireland,‬‭ from‬‭ 1837‬ to‬‭ 1901.‬‭ During‬‭ this‬‭ time,‬‭ Britain‬‭ became‬‭ a‬‭ global‬‭ superpower,‬‭ expanding‬‭ its‬‭ empire‬‭ and‬ experiencing‬‭ rapid‬‭ progress‬‭ in‬‭ science,‬‭ industry‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ arts,‬‭ as‬‭ well‬‭ as‬‭ significant‬‭ political‬‭ and‬‭ social reforms that have shaped the modern world.‬

“During the Victorian period men and women’s roles became more sharply defined than at any time in history. In earlier centuries it had been usual for women to work alongside husbands and brothers in the family business. Living ‘over the shop’ made it easy for women to help out by serving customers or keeping accounts while also attending to their domestic duties.” - Kathryn Hughes, The British Library’s “Gender roles in the 19th century”

John  Ruskin,  an  English  writer  and  philosopher,  reveals  the  rigid  gender  roles  of  the  19th  century  Victorian  era were characterized  by  strict  stereotypes  that  disadvantaged  women.  This  period  was  defined  by  the  "separate  spheres"  ideology  that  relegated  men  to  the  public  sphere  of  work  and  economics,  consigning  women  to  domestic  roles,  reinforcing  male  dominance.  These  spheres  supported  by  Darwin’s  theory  of  "Survival  of  the  Fittest,"  placed  men  higher  on  the  evolutionary  ladder  and  impacted  all  societal  aspects,  including  employment,  where  only  a  third  of  women  worked  compared  to  two-thirds  by  1978.  For  the  upper-middle  class,  many  women  had  never  worked  outside  the  home.  Women  were  expected  to  live  up  to  the  image  of  ‘the  angel  in  the  house’,  to be the perfect wife and mother. 

The  early  feminist  movement  emerged  in  the  1850s,  advocating  for  equality  in  education,  work,  and  voting  rights  despite  these  limitations.  Figures  like  Queen  Victoria  opposed  these  efforts,  viewing  feminism  as  a  "wicked  folly"  offering  “God  created  men  and  women  differently—then  let  them  remain  each  in  their  own  position.”  Victorian-era  gender  stereotypes  persisted  well  into  the  20th century and continue to influence modern-day society.

Bowles’ Drawing Book for Ladies is a manual for drawing or embroidering flowers. Drawing and embroidery were part of a conventional female education in the 18th and 19th centuries.

DRACULA Diving Deeper | Exploring Imperial Gothic Literature

Emerging  in  the  late  19th  century,  this  subgenre  of  gothic  literature  merges  traditional  gothic  themes  (horror,  mystery,  and  the  supernatural)  with  anxieties  about  British  imperialism  and  colonial  decline.  Patrick Brantlinger coined the term “Imperial Gothic” in his 1988 book Rule of Darkness: British Literature and Imperialism, 1830–1914 (excerpt here)

This style of  literature  reflects  fears  of  cultural  regression  and  the  weakening  of  British  dominance.  Central  to  it  is  the  trope  of  "reverse  colonization,"  where  colonial  forces  disrupt  Western  civilization,  echoing  concerns  about  the  empire's  fragility.  There’s a sense that the modern world offers fewer opportunities for adventure and heroism, often resulting in individual regression, also known as "going native". The stories often explore English anxieties about the tension between the nation’s xenophobia and its imperialist drive, tapping into fears of the racial 'other' in the colonies.

Notable  works  like  Dracula  and  The  Strange  Case  of  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde  illustrate  these  themes  by  depicting  supernatural  and  psychological  horrors  highlighting  concerns  about  racial  and  cultural  "otherness"  within the British Empire. 

Some common elements of Imperial Gothic include:

• Remote, desolate landscapes

• A vulnerable heroine

• Supernatural elements like ghosts, dreams, and eerie voices

• Social Darwinist terms

• Devolution

Postcolonial literature offers powerful examples of "the empire writing back"* that have been inspired by the xenophobia of Gothic novels. For instance, Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso reimagines Bertha from Jane Eyre, renaming her Antoinette and turning her into the heroine of her own story.

Add these Imperial Gothic reads to your list for spooky season:

Pharos the Egyptian (1899), Guy Boothby
Jane Eyre (1847), Charlotte Brontë 
Greenmantle (1916), John Buchan
Riddle of the Sands (1903), Erskine Childers
Heart of Darkness (1899), Joseph Conrad
“Lot No. 249” (1892), Arthur Conan Doyle 
“The Brown Hand” (1899), Arthur Conan Doyle 
“The Ring of Thoth” (1890), Arthur Conan Doyle  
The Sign of Four, Arthur Conan Doyle 
She (1887), H. Rider Haggard
After London (1885), Richard Jefferies
“Mark of the Beast” (1890), Rudyard Kipling
Brood of the Witch Queen (1918), Sax Rohmer
Tales of Secret Egypt (1918), Sax Rohmer
The Daughter of Fu Manchu (1931), Sax Rohmer
The Bat Flies Low (1935), Sax Rohmer
Story of Henrietta (1800), Charlotte Smith
“The Beach of Falesá" (1892), Robert Louis Stevenson
"The Isle of Voices" (1893), Robert Louis Stevenson
“The Master of Ballantrae” (1889), Robert Louis Stevenson
The  Strange  Case  of  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Dracula (1897), Bram Stoker
Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), Bram Stoker
Sanders of the River (1909), Edgar Wallace
“The Truth about Pyecraft” (1903), H.G. Wells

DRACULA Diving Deeper | Vampire Folklore

In folklore, vampirism often served as a symbol of disease, particularly when medical knowledge was limited and misunderstood. In Eastern Europe, especially among the Slavs, vampires were a convenient explanation for mysterious deaths caused by unknown diseases. Villagers, fearing that recent deaths were caused by vampires, would exhume and mutilate bodies believed to be undead in an effort to stop the spread of illness and prevent further deaths. The association between vampires and disease was particularly strong, with ailments such as cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid, and rabies being attributed to vampiric activity.

Villagers  would  unearth  and  desecrate  corpses  believed  to  be  vampires  to  prevent  them  from  killing  again. (Lithograph by R. de Moraine, 1864)

Data  from  the  period  of  the  Great  Vampire  Epidemic  links  rabies  to  a  large  number  of  deaths  in  Eastern Europe, some stemming from rabid wolves.

Vampire legends date back to at least the 9th century and were so significant that Serbian law banned "vampire burials" in the 14th century. The “Great Vampire Epidemic” began in 1725 after a suspected vampire case in Serbia. Panic spread across Eastern and Western Europe, as decomposition was mistakenly associated with vampirism. Diseases like pellagra and rabies, whose symptoms mirrored aspects of vampirism, added to the hysteria. Pellagra, caused by a deficiency in niacin (B3) and tryptophan, resulted in symptoms like sensitivity to sunlight and foul breath, while rabies, which spread through bites, caused victims to avoid sunlight and react to strong odors, like garlic—a classic vampire repellent in folklore.

Across different cultures, vampires had their own unique forms. The Romanian Strigoi, the Russian Upir, and the Greek Vrykolakas all shared similarities with the modern vampire, though early descriptions differed from the pale, gaunt figures we recognize today. Instead, early vampires were often depicted as bloated, with ruddy or dark skin, a reflection of their supposed recent death. These undead creatures would often visit loved ones or cause harm in their former neighborhoods, spreading mischief or death. 

The modern, charismatic vampire was born in the 19th century, most notably with John Polidori’s 1819 publication of The Vampyre, which introduced a sophisticated and alluring version of the creature. While various ancient cultures like the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits that predated the vampire, it was southeastern Europe in the early 18th century where the folklore of vampires, as we know them today, took shape.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is hands down the most influential novel shaping the modern vampire legend, laying the foundation for the iconic, mysterious vampire we know today. The novel was published in 1897 and was considered a unique take on the vampire myth. 

Pre-Dracula Vampire novels
1800s “A Visit to the Theatre” by Alexandre Dumas
1849 “The Pale Lady” by Alexandre Dumas & Paul Bocage
1872 “Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
1894 “The Parasite” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Vampires were not only feared for their potential to cause death and disease but also for their association with the supernatural. Traditional protections against vampires varied across cultures, with wild roses, hawthorn branches, and mustard seeds often used to ward them off. In some places, methods of preventing vampiric activity included severing the tendons at the knees of a corpse or scattering seeds at the grave site to keep the vampire occupied counting grains—a form of arithmomania associated with vampires across many cultures, including in China, India, and South America. These legends of the undead, although fantastical, offer a window into how societies historically understood and coped with disease and death in times of uncertainty.

This 19th century vampire-slaying kit was owned by Lord William Malcolm Hailey. source: HANSONS AUCTIONEERS and VALUERS LTD

A vampire-slaying kit once owned by a British aristocrat sparked an international bidding war before selling for six times its estimated price, according to Hansons Auctioneers.

The late 19th century box kit, which sold for £13,000 ($15,736.49), belonged to Lord William Malcolm Hailey (1872-1969), a British peer and former administrator of British India, Hansons Auctioneers said in a news release.

“Whether through fear or fascination, it’s interesting to know a member of the highest aristocratic social order, a man with a place in the House of Lords, acquired this item,” said Charles Hanson, owner of the auction house. “It reminds us that the vampire myth affects people from all walks of life.”

The box features essential items needed to ward off blood-thirsty vampires – including crucifixes, holy water, wooden stake and mallet, rosary beads, a Gothic Bible, brass candlesticks, matching pistols and a brass powder flask.

—CNN article, 2022