Dracula Gender Quotes Page 2
Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #4 Some of the 'New Women' writers will some day start an idea that men and women should be allowed to see each other asleep before proposing or accepting. But I suppose the New Woman won't condescend in future to accept; she will do the proposing herself. And a nice job she will make of it, too! There's some consolation in that. (8.1) |
Is Mina making fun of the "New Women"? It's not totally clear. Is she being sarcastic when she says, "And a nice job she will make of it, too"? Mina's not the type of woman who would ever propose to a man – she'd wait to be proposed to. But she's not usually that sarcastic, either. So maybe this is a place where Bram Stoker's own voice is coming in – perhaps he's using Mina as a mouthpiece to poke fun at progressive women.
| Quote #5 A brave man's blood is the best thing on this earth when a woman is in trouble. You're a man, and no mistake. (12.28) |
We don't want to tell Van Helsing how to do his job, but we can think of a lot of things that are more useful to a "woman in trouble" than "a brave man's blood."
| Quote #6 In such cases men do not need much expression. A grip of the hand, the tightening of an arm over the shoulder, a sob in unison, are expressions of sympathy dear to a man's heart. (13.38) |
Ah yes, the "man hug." Good, manly Englishmen have to keep a stiff upper lip! They can't break down and cry – they just slap each other on the shoulder to express their sympathy.
