dorian + dracula essay plans

Question 1

presentation of death essay plan - dracula

Answer 1

1- death + decay symbolises moral degradation and corruption resulting from immoral actions
DRACULA - decay + death of draculas victims, they become undead

2- death - desire / urge to kill is supernatural, this also reflects societal fears
DRACULA - dracula is inherently evil, his sustenance is dependent on the murder of others, animalistic, also reflects societal fears of reverse colonialism, dracula a foreigner comes and kills + corrupts english women, makes them undead

3- death is a transformative agent, offering the possibility of redemption and moral awakening
DRACULA - with lucy - her death = her salvation as her soul is freed and she is with god, death is liberation from the curse of immortality and vampirism

Question 2

presentation of death essay plan - dorian

Answer 2

1- death + decay symbolises moral degradation and corruption resulting from immoral actions
DORIAN - portrait - seems to age / wither as dorian’s soul becomes more corrupt - sibyl, her death is the result of dorian’s cruelty

2- death - desire / urge to kill is supernatural, this also reflects societal fears
DORIAN - dorian kills basil, driven by portrait - supernatural embodiment of his soul + corruption - suggests hidden homosexual feelings, or rage at these feelings, act of stabbing is penetrative, suggestive of sex

3- death is a transformative agent, offering the possibility of redemption and moral awakening
DORIAN - dorian kills the portrait in an attempt to purge himself of sins, the death of his past life offers him moral rebirth, views death as transformative, but instead he receives divine justice

Question 3

novels are a product of victorian society / social fears / anxiety essay plan - draucla

Answer 3

1- morality and therefore good and evil is defined by victorian expectations
DRACULA - the goods / the ones allowed to survive must perfectly embody victorian ideals - mina = ideal new woman, resourceful + submits to men - harker, seward and arthur = ideal victorian men, van helsing = development of west, versed in science + superstition, ideal of the compatibility of science + religion, his knowledge sets him apart from the local foreign people

2- sexuality - manifestations of desires that are repressed in victorian society
DRACULA - overt female sexuality seen in 3 vampire women + lucy = sexual liberation of women = threatening to masculinity - society + stoker perceives it as monstrous - idea that it overpowers men with desire, making them animals, slaves to their sexual urges - sexual female vampires feed on babies, monstrousness emph through perversion of motherhood - also suggests that female sexuality, which is seen as the primal dark side of women, brings out the primal dark side of man - sexuality is inextricable with the dark side of human nature, sentiment of traditional victorian society + criticism of the new woman

3- supernatural elements influenced by contemporary fears + fascination about the unknown - eponymous characters duplicity - shown through construct of a doppelgänger / uncanny double - popular idea during victorian gothic revival
DRACULA - contrasting appearance of draculas old horrific description and his youthful regenerated appearance emphasises his duplicity, as well as questions victorian ideas of physiognomy, mens reaction to the sexual female vampires also echoes this, both fearful and lustful, echoes the reactions of the readers to the supernatural

Question 4

novels are a product of victorian society / social fears / anxiety essay plan - dorian

Answer 4

1- morality and therefore good and evil is defined by victorian expectations
DORIAN - good = respectability + appearance rather than real morals, assumed that dorian could never be evil because of his looks - physiognomy

2- sexuality - manifestations of desires that are repressed in victorian society
DORIAN - dorians close relationships - suggestive of some sexuality - both with men and some women, shows dorians transition into monstrousness / his primal side - his sexual prowess makes him a threat to society = monstrous, these relationships he builds are destructive, wilde plays on victorian fears + he criticises the victorian intolerance of homosexuality - dorian seems monstrous - the dark side of human nature - because his lifestyle is oppressed, and thus is a threat to the control of the society that oppresses it

3- supernatural elements are influenced by contemporary fears + fascination about the unknown - eponymous characters duplicity - shown through construct of a doppelgänger / uncanny double - a popular idea during victorian gothic revival
DORIAN - dorians youthful appearance and his hideous portrait = duplicitous + questions victorian ideas of physiognomy - dorians own reaction to the changing portrait reflects similar attitude - his delight in corruption is oxymoronic - exploration of the duplicitous nature of the supernatural and the emotions it evokes

Question 5

presentation of power / control - dracula

Answer 5

power is seen to reside in forces of evil

1- power of evil allows it to overcome the fragility of good
DRACULA - dracula corrupts lucy, as she transforms physically her goodness is overpowered by her evil + wantonness - also seen in setting, draculas evil corrupts nature, it’s power is boundless

2- power of evil causes isolation + madness - vessels for evil are so consumed they become irredeemable
DRACULA - renfields madness, harkers madness at the hands of dracula + his evil - dracula cannot be redeemed

3- power of evil permeates + threatens society
DRACULA - spreads sexual liberation - lucy - she harms society as she feeds on babies, furthermore the overt female sexuality of the female vampires threatens male dominated society by forcing men into submission to women - dynamics of harkers encounter with 3 female vampires

Question 6

presentation of power / control essay plan - dorian

Answer 6

power is seen to reside in forces of evil

1- power of evil allows it to overcome the fragility of good
DORIAN - lord henry corrupts dorian and overcomes basils goodness, dorians immoral boundless pursuit of pleasure is driven by the evil within him

2- power of evil causes isolation + madness - vessels for evil are so consumed they become irredeemable
DORIAN - dorians new hedonism is preferable to the repentance basil offers, he feels drawn to the immoral / evil forces, dorians obsession with the yellow book perhaps is like madness

3- power of evil permeates + threatens society
DORIAN - dorian ruins many upperclass respectable men, shows he is a danger to upper class society, his immoral lifestyle threatens the values of victorian england, furthermore his facade of goodness in his good looks and his own status allows him to remain uncovered

Question 7

presentation of monstrousness essay plan - dracula

Answer 7

used to explore human nature

1- monstrousness is inherent in man vs duality of man
DRACULA - his evil spreads + corrupts the world around him, emphasising that he is a force of monstrousness - reflects the monstrous / wild dark side of (human) nature, he is connected with wolves, children of the night - dracula controls this violent dark side of nature - draculas physiognomy is fearful + somewhat animalistic too

2- sexuality - manifestation of repressed desires
DRACULA - overt female sexuality + sexual liberation of 3 vampire women + lucy is threatening to masculinity - society + stoker perceives it as monstrous - idea that it overpowers men with desire, making them animals, slaves to their sexual urges - sexual female vampires feed on babies and children, monstrousness emphasised through their perversion of maternal instinct - also suggests female sexuality, which = the primal dark side of women, brings out the primal dark side of man - sexuality is inextricable with the dark side of human nature, sentiment of traditional victorian society

3- dark side of human nature / monstrousness cannot survive
DRACULA - dracula is defeated, he embodies only the dark sides of human nature, stoker suggests that through victorian traditional values this evil and monstrousness can be repressed - evil characterised by societal fears of colonialism and sexuality - ultimately serves to advocate for the society already established - stoker rejects any kind of liberal change - lucy is also defeated

Question 8

presentation of monstrousness essay plan - dorian

Answer 8

used to explore human nature

1- monstrousness is inherent in man vs duality of man
DORIAN - contrast of beginning - flower imagery emphasises purity - vs his portrait at the end due to corruption of his soul - lord henry drives dorian to embrace his dark side, creating his new monstrous identity - dorians desire for lord henry’s approval leads him to first monstrous act towards sibyl vane - she is also described with flowers, emphasising her purity and thus dorian’s monstrousness + cruelty - idea that monstrousness is part of man is seen through duality - dorian seems innocent but his portrait betrays his monstrousness

2- sexuality - manifestation of repressed desires
DORIAN - his close relationships = suggestive of some sexuality, both with men and some women - shows dorians transition into monstrousness / his primal side - his sexual prowess makes him a threat to society = monstrous - victorian intolerance of homosexuality - wildes critique of this society, dorian seems monstrous - the dark side of human nature - because his lifestyle is oppressed, and thus is a threat to the control of the society that oppresses it

3- dark side of human nature / monstrousness cannot survive
DORIAN - his guilt consumes him + drives him to suicide, he embraces his dark side but cannot survive with his guilt of the damage he has done, uses drugs to cope and experience euphoria, suggests he cannot get this in society - wilde emphasises balance, only lord henry depicts a balance of the good and dark side of human nature, although his morals are depraved, he is outwardly respectable and acts morally - dorian delves too deep into his dark monstrous side and cannot cope

Question 9

presentation of the breaking of boundaries essay plan - dracula

Answer 9

1- breaking moral boundaries
DRACULA - dracula challenges the moral codes of victorian society

2- breaking gender boundaries
DRACULA - sexual aggression + dominance of female vampires vs harkers passivity - also the gender role reversal of the attack on harker and mina

3- breaking sexual boundaries
DRACULA - 3 female vampires + lucy break sexual boundaries on women of the time - heavily looked down for it

Question 10

presentation of the breaking of boundaries essay plan - dorian

Answer 10

1- breaking moral boundaries
DORIAN - dorians life of hedonism and his abandonment of victorian imposed morals

2- breaking gender boundaries
DORIAN - basil describes dorian as being very feminine, like sibyl he is associated with flower imagery

3- breaking sexual boundaries
DORIAN - dorians relationships are suggestive of homosexuality - especially as they result in the ruin of men, seen clearest through his relationship with basil, implied with alan campbell - dorians blackmail

Question 11

presentation of duplicity / the gothic

Answer 11

1- setting uses gothic conventions to expose duplicity of characters
DRACULA - harkers journey shows a transition from flourishing nature to a hellish description - juxtaposition exposes draculas duplicity - his castle + home in carfax in london are grand - symbolise his facade of respectability that enables his insidious corruption

2- eponymous characters represent duplicity - both have a construct of a doppelgänger / uncanny double - a popular idea during victorian gothic revival
DRACULA - contrasting appearance of his old callous horrific description and his youthful regenerated appearance emphasises his duplicity, as well as questions victorian ideas of physiognomy

3- emotions evoked by supernatural/gothic are duplicitous - influenced by the audience reactions to the supernatural - of fear + fascination about the unknown
DRACULA - harker + mens reaction to female sexuality is of fear and desire - reflects fear of the overturn of a male dominated society and sexual desire + lust

Question 12

presentation of duplicity / the gothic essay plan - dorian

Answer 12

1- setting uses gothic conventions to expose duplicity of characters
DORIAN - east vs west london - as dorian ventures to the opium dens in east london the description mirrors a descent into hell - contrasts respectability of west london - exposes dorians duplicity, he lives in high society but under the cover of night he engages in immoral pursuits - symbolises how his evil is hidden, remote from his facade of respectability

2- eponymous characters represent duplicity - both have a construct of a doppelgänger / uncanny double - a popular idea during victorian gothic revival
DORIAN - dorians youthful appearance and his hideous portrait, emphasise his duplicity and questions victorian ideas of physiognomy

3- emotions evoked by supernatural/gothic are duplicitous - influenced by the audience reactions to the supernatural - of fear + fascination about the unknown
DORIAN - dorians own reaction to the changing portrait reflects this attitude - his delight in corruption is oxymoronic - exploration of the duplicitous nature of the supernatural and the emotions it evokes

Question 13

presentation of religion / confrontation of religion essay plan - dracula

Answer 13

1- use of setting to cement religious themes + exploration of religion
DRACULA - journey to draculas castle, perhaps thriving nature mirrors the garden of eden, yet it is corrupted by draculas evil, into a hellish landscape - religious ideas used to emphasise draculas evil + influence - importance of the witching hour, a christian construct, gothic, also to explore powers of evil

2- forces of evil clash with religion + uses of religious symbolisms + inversions - emphasises the importance of religion in this time
DRACULA - draculas evil further emphasised as he is the antithesis of religious goodness, fiery personification of hell - vampirism + immortality is an inversion of christian resurrection - women are transformed into temptresses, idea that women lure men into sin, this exacerbates the evilness of the vampires sexuality and dracula

3- subversion of religious ideas - spiritual bonds and the idea of the soul
DRACULA - blood is the force that connects dracula to lucy + mina, and by extent the other men, who share blood with them, perhaps a perversion of the idea of the Eucharist, the sharing of the body and blood of christ - emphasises his power? as he exercises control over these individuals through this ritual - dracula is soulless and has the power to make others soulless, against god, only god can hold ownership over human souls

Question 14

presentation of religion / confrontation of religion essay plan - dorian

Answer 14

1- use of setting to cement religious themes + exploration of religion
DORIAN - basils floral and natural picturesque studio = biblical connotations, garden of eden, cements lord henry = snake that tempts dorian, like eve to eat the apple and gain knowledge, but instead it is experience, solidifies lord henry as the true villain of the story - apt as sin + its consequences = a central theme in the novel, something dorian is unable to escape - descent into hell setting shows this

2- forces of evil clash with religion + uses of religious symbolisms + inversions - emphasises the importance of religion in this time
DORIAN - rejects repentance for immoral pursuit of sinful pleasures + corruption of his soul - idea that lord henry + basil are the devil + angel on dorians shoulders, forces of morality and immorality, dorian is drawn more to immorality, wilde uses this symbolism to explore the idea that human nature consists of both heaven and hell, perhaps also explored through the yellow book, which is like an inversion of the bible, a book of corruption rather than healing, this book becomes dorian’s doctrine, and it is partly responsible for his downfall

3- subversion of religious ideas - spiritual bonds and the idea of the soul
DORIAN - the painting represents a bond between basil and dorian, basil puts his own soul in the portrait, the portrait is a symbol of dorians soul as it is corrupted, this may suggest that basil and dorian have formed a spiritual bond, the portrait represents a union of their souls, perhaps when basil dies, this is why the portrait bleeds - dorians faustian bargain also implies that he himself is soulless - his soul = picture of moral depravity the portrait represents

Question 15

presentation of civilisation + class essay plan - dracula

Answer 15

1- class hides evil + hypocrisy - criticism of the superficiality of it
DRACULA - as a count his evil is covered by a facade if respectability, harker even overlooks it

2- means/symbols of corruption are these that threaten class system/victorian civilisation
DRACULA - he corrupts women causing them to lose their respectability, lucy’s transformation from innocent and pure into wantonness, it is a manifestation of the fear of male power being dominated by women

3- transcendence up the class hierarchy is sought after
DRACULA - harker’s sense of superiority over the local people is suggestive of this desire to join the ranks of those in the aristocracy, however as he meets dracula - represents upper class - he is destroyed - the toxicity and degeneration of upper class society is criticised here?

Question 16

presentation of civilisation + class essay plan - dorian

Answer 16

1- class hides evil + hypocrisy - criticism of the superficiality of it
DORIAN - his upper class facade of respectability similarly allows his immoral lifestyle and evil pursuits and actions to remain undiscovered

2- means/symbols of corruption are these that threaten class system/victorian civilisation
DORIAN - dorian corrupts men and women causing their reputations to be tarnished and ruined, if not dead, fear of upper class society

3- transcendence up the class hierarchy is sought after
DORIAN - similar criticism of the degeneration of upperclass society - sibyl dies therefore never transcends, basil dies and never transcends, dorian is the representation of the destructiveness of upper class society

Question 17

presentation of sexuality essay plan - dracula

Answer 17

1- sexuality is synonymous with moral decay + evil - represents societal values of the time, sexuality should be repressed
DRACULA - images of sexual desire intertwined with a sense of horror and disgust, female vampires are perversions of femininity, they feed on babies - mina, who embodies goodness, emphasises the importance of female sexuality being hidden

2- sexual boundaries are broken - female sexuality + homosexuality
DRACULA - lucy and the female vampires break sexual boundaries imposed by victorian society - the new woman - lucy is punished for her desire to experience life outside narrow victorian confines, she descends to the level of the female vampires

3- the breaking of sexual boundaries is threatening to the foundations of society
DRACULA - overt female sexuality of female vampires threatens male dominated patriarchal victorian society - seen in physical dynamics of harkers encounter with the vampires, they tower dominantly over him, forcing him into a position of passivity and submission, both harker and arthur are overcome with desire for the female vampires, no longer dominating males - shows how dracula is a threat to male dominated society

Question 18

presentation of sexuality essay plan - dorian

Answer 18

1- sexuality is synonymous with moral decay and evil - represents societal values of the time, sexuality should be repressed
DORIAN - basils feelings upon first meeting dorian, of passion + desire intertwined with fear, but ultimately he is a character embodying goodness, enforces the idea that sexuality should be repressed

2- sexual boundaries are broken - female sexuality + homosexuality
DORIAN - many male relationships are suggestive of homosexuality, dorian + other young men, or dorian + basil - mostly explored through basils dialogue, could be argued basils murder = punishment for these emotions, perhaps it represents dorian’s suppressed homosexual feelings or passions, or his rage at these feelings, act of stabbing repeatedly is suggestive of sexual penetration, could emphasise this

3- the breaking of sexual boundaries is threatening to the foundations of society
DORIAN - dorians relationships with other men are suggestive of homosexuality, these men, once respectable, consistently end up with tarnished reputations or banished from society or dead, shows how dorians beauty + allure = threat to society, also alan campbell is ruined by dorian and kills himself, as he is a chemist this may suggest that dorian is not only a threat to upper class society but also to the scientific development and modernisation of the west

Question 19

presentation of conflict essay plan - dracula

Answer 19

1- societal conflicts - convention vs radical movements - new woman or aestheticism, homosexuality?
DRACULA - female sexuality = feared + presented as evil, a by product of draculas corruption - vampire women dominate harker, their overt sexuality causes an overwhelming sense of passion and desire in harker, similarly arthur is overcome with his desire for vampire lucy - these depictions suggest that female liberation is in direct conflict with a male dominated society

2- science vs supernatural/superstition or alternative lifestyles - hedonism
DRACULA - dracula = supernatural, all modern science is nothing compared to his power - shown by all lucy’s futile blood transfusions - so as he is an unnatural being against god, he must be defeated with godly things + superstition + religious paraphernalia - this conflict also alludes to west vs east, this superstition is frowned upon at first, but once the crew start using it, it becomes okay?

3- good vs evil - most central conflicts

DRACULA - clear message that goodness = conformity to victorian convention and ideals, anything other is defeated - in dracula battle between good + evil is heavily influenced by context, victorian fears and anxieties of the other - those who don’t conform - lucy, dracula, renfield perhaps, even without being outright evil, have tragic fates

Question 20

presentation of conflict essay plan - dorian

Answer 20

1- societal conflicts - convention vs radical movements - new woman or aestheticism, homosexuality?
DORIAN - dorian ruins young men - suggests homosexuality? - men involved with him end up with tarnished reputations, banished from respectable society, dead - dorian = a conflict with aristocratic society that superficially values manners and respectability - as a beautiful man, he is free to act immorally under the cover of night, going against this society

2- science vs supernatural/superstition or alternative lifestyles - hedonism
DORIAN - embodied in dorian vs alan campbell - dorian represents alternative lifestyles, with his own hedonistic life, and he is able to take control over campbell, a chemist, represents modern science, embroiling him in his sinful ways + leading to his suicide - campbell represents societal fears that immoral pursuits such as hedonism will threaten not only upper class, but the development of the west

3- good vs evil - most central conflicts
DORIAN - basil and sibyl - both characters that embody good - are killed by dorian, shows power of evil over good - dorian is unable to live with the evil he has done and kills himself - rather than any such force winning, novel is more like an exploration of human nature than a fight between good and evil/heroes and villains

Question 21

presentation of contrast essay plan - dracula

Answer 21

used to represent conflicts

1- purity and moral depravity - emphasises corruption
DRACULA - lucy as a pure chaste maiden vs vampire lucy who is overtly sexual and wantonly - emphasises power of draculas corruption + the threat he poses to english women - landscape around draculas castle transforms from natural and pure to hellish and barren - emphasises the power and influence of draculas evil

2- colour contrast to symbolise the central fight between good and evil which is far more ambiguous in dorian
DRACULA - white vs black + red - dracula is always associated with black, lucy wears white, stained by the red of draculas corruption, quite binary ideas of good and bad, the crew that represent victorian morality are good and dracula and all else is bad

3- emotions evoked by supernatural/gothic are contrasting/conflicting - influenced by the audience reactions to the supernatural - of fear + fascination about the unknown
DRACULA - harker + mens reaction to female sexuality is of fear and desire - reflects fear of the overturn of a male dominated society and sexual desire + lust

Question 22

presentation of contrast essay plan - dorian

Answer 22

used to represent conflicts

1- purity and moral depravity - emphasises corruption
DORIAN - dorian is associated with flowery imagery at the start, emphasises his purity + innocence, he is untouched - later he is associated with secrecy, scandal + flowers are crushed, shows how his innocence has been crushed - sibyl also associated with flowery imagery, she’s innocent too, until dorian ruins her

2- colour contrast to symbolise the central fight between good and evil which is far more ambiguous in dorian
DORIAN - dark vs light ? but more ambiguity, dorian becomes more and more shrouded in darkness as he gets more corrupted, his fresh innocence is gone, dorian grey - suggests moral ambiguity, and conveys wildes message that we all have heaven and hell in us, dorian at the start = tabula rasa, the baby unborn, the portrait unfinished, with the potential to be good or bad - lord henry is white + moral, but he pushes dorian into darkness, more ambiguity, comment on superficiality of society

3- emotions evoked by supernatural/gothic are contrasting/conflicting - influenced by the audience reactions to the supernatural - of fear + fascination about the unknown
DORIAN - his own reaction to the changing portrait reflects this attitude - his delight in corruption is oxymoronic - exploration of the duplicitous nature of the supernatural and the emotions it evokes

Question 23

presentation of male relationships essay plan - dracula

Answer 23

1- power imbalances between men
DRACULA - dracula / harker - dracula is at first presented as weak and old, harker is respectable and intelligent, however this soon shifts as dracula overpowers harker, causing his emasculation and psychological torment

2- idea of sexual competition between men
DRACULA - arthur, dr seward and quincy all compete for lucy

3- male relationships are degenerative? vs empowering
DRACULA - men band together to defeat dracula - their friendships are central, even though they barely know eachother? - superficial and propaganda ideas of men and heroism, readers question this

Question 24

presentation of male relationships essay plan - dorian

Answer 24

1- power imbalances between men
DORIAN - lord henry and dorian - lord henry is corruptive, and holds lots of influence over dorian with his captivating ideas of hedonism and aestheticism

2- idea of sexual competition between men
DORIAN - lord henry and basil can be seen to compete for dorian - wildes gaze

3- male relationships are degenerative? vs empowering
DORIAN - dorians relationships with men result in the men being ruined, reputations tarnished, banished from upper class society, or dead - especially as these relationships are suggestive of homosexuality - reflection of societies perceptions of homosexual relationships at the time - resultantly dorian = threat to upper class society ? as he transforms these respectable men into dishonoured ones - deeper exploration of human nature through male characters

Question 25

presentation of good + evil / morality essay plan - dracula

Answer 25

1- moral decay + evil + villainy is presented as a manifestation of desires against social convention / societal fears - morality is defined by the confines of victorian society
DRACULA - as he corrupts women, they become overtly sexual which threatens patriarchal order + male domination - also dracula the force of evil is a foreigner, suggestive of fears surrounding colonialism, the fear that he will corrupt england as he has corrupted his land in transylvania - reinforced in ending, as only the good who perfectly embody the values of victorian england survive, lucy strays and is killed, renfield is ambitious and dies, even quincy the american dies

2- innate evil is coated in a facade of goodness - critique of the superficiality of society
DRACULA - dracula regenerates as he corrupts therefore changing his appearance - his physiognomy no longer matches up with his character therefore his evil is hidden - also he is a count, harker respects this and values him above the opinions of the local people - his evil is masked by his respectable facade

3- forces of good are perceived as fragile when confronted with the insidious allure of the forces of evil
DRACULA - the sexual allure of the female vampires seems to overcome the goodness of the men - can also be seen just through lucys transformations, as evil takes over her innocence her features change

Question 26

presentation of good + evil / morality essay plan - dorian

Answer 26

1- moral decay + evil + villainy is presented as a manifestation of desires against social convention / societal fears - morality is defined by the confines of victorian society
DORIAN - dorians delight in the corruption of his own soul = delight in rejecting victorian ideals - also his ruin of young men with his sinful corruption = fear of victorian upper class

2- innate evil is coated in a facade of goodness - critique of the superficiality of the upper class
DORIAN - due to his faustian bargain dorian’s appearance never changes, as well as his position in aristocratic society - this allows him to do immoral things under the cover of night + without being caught, he contradicts ideas of victorian physiognomy, allows him to keep up his facade of good - lord henry perhaps is another example, his respectability covers up his immoral philosophies, also never does anything immoral himself, is he the true villain of the story?

3- forces of good are perceived as fragile when confronted with the insidious allure of the forces of evil
DORIAN - the immoral / evil allure of dorians boundless pursuit of pleasure overrides the goodness of repentance - power of evil over good

Question 27

presentation of heroes + villains essay plan - dracula

Answer 27

1- moral decay + evil + villainy is presented as a manifestation of desires against social convention / societal fears - morality is defined by the confines of victorian society
DRACULA - as he corrupts women, they become overtly sexual which threatens patriarchal order + male domination - also dracula the force of evil is a foreigner, suggestive of fears surrounding colonialism, the fear that he will corrupt england as he has corrupted his land in transylvania - reinforced in ending, as only the good who perfectly embody the values of victorian england survive, lucy strays and is killed, renfield is ambitious and dies, even quincy the american dies

2- innate evil is coated in a facade of goodness - critique of the superficiality of society
DRACULA - dracula regenerates as he corrupts therefore changing his appearance - his physiognomy no longer matches up with his character therefore his evil is hidden - also he is a count, harker respects this and values him above the opinions of the local people - his evil is masked by his respectable facade

3- heroes + villains are ambiguous + subjective
DRACULA - lucy was once innocent and conformed to victorian morals, her simple expression of a desire to live outside victorian confines cements her as a villain, she becomes corrupted, but she is saved

Question 28

presentation of heroes + villains essay plan - dorian

Answer 28

1- moral decay + evil + villainy is presented as a manifestation of desires against social convention / societal fears - morality is defined by the confines of victorian society
DORIAN - dorians vanity is intertwined with his delight in the corruption of his own soul

2- innate evil is coated in a facade of goodness - critique of the superficiality of the upper class
DORIAN - due to his faustian bargain dorian’s appearance never changes, as well as his position in aristocratic society - this allows him to do immoral things under the cover of night + without being caught, he contradicts ideas of victorian physiognomy, allows him to keep up his facade of good - lord henry perhaps is another example, his respectability covers up his immoral philosophies, also never does anything immoral himself, is he the true villain of the story?

3- heroes + villains are ambiguous + subjective
DORIAN - basil is a force of good + god fearing = hero, but he was gay, this goes against victorian values, which define morals and therefore what is heroic and not - dorian is sympathetic, but seen as villainous for his immoral actions - lord henry is arguably the cause of dorian’s evil, true villain of the story but epitomises moral ambiguity

Question 29

presentation of the supernatural essay plan - dracula

Answer 29

1- inexplicably powerful over human nature, often to its detriment
DRACULA - the effect of vampirism on women - turning them into overtly sexual and primal and dominating over men - unnatural

2- inspired by contemporary fears - supernatural & manifestations if repressed desires that challenge social norms
DRACULA - represents victorian fears of colonialism + compatibility of science and religion - dracula as a foreign character uses his supernatural abilities to prey upon the women of england, turning them all into his brides, like lucy - his plan to settle into england + spread his corruption around - as a supernatural being dracula can only be fought with traditional godly paraphernalia, modern science is nothing against his power

3- supernatural = a catalyst for transformation, specifically a force that must be destroyed to bring about divine justice and restore order in society
DRACULA - the crew kill dracula, destroy the force of supernatural - when he dies the marks he has made on the crew disappear, those who were affected (but not as much as lucy) are restored, represents societal order being restored

Question 30

presentation of the supernatural essay plan - dorian

Answer 30

1- inexplicably powerful over human nature, often to its detriment
DORIAN - portrait evokes a passion in dorian to kill basil, as well as a fascination with the destruction of his soul - unnatural?

2- inspired by contemporary fears - supernatural & manifestations if repressed desires that challenge social norms
DORIAN - faustian bargain gives dorian eternal youth + by extension his sense of allure, which is certainly influenced by his beauty - dorians relationships with other men are suggestively homosexual, these men all end up ruined, reputations tarnished, banished from aristocratic society, or dead - destructiveness of supernatural forces on respectable victorian society

3- supernatural = a catalyst for transformation, specifically a force that must be destroyed to bring about divine justice and restore order in society
DORIAN - supernatural changing portrait drives dorian’s delight in the corruption of his own soul - stabbing if portrait = destruction of supernatural and restore to natural order + life - divine justice

Question 31

presentation of menace essay plan - dracula

Answer 31

1- seen through depiction of the dangerous power of influence
DRACULA - the effect of draculas evil on the world around him - dracula is the physical embodiment of menace - he is naturally/inherently a force of menace - seen through appearance

2- threats representing biggest victorian fears during fin de siecle of colonialism
DRACULA - clash of east and west symbolised through clash of science and superstition - modern science is no match for draculas power, seen through lucy’s futile blood transfusions - mirrors uncertainty surrounding the compatibility of religion + science following origin of species

3- threats representing victorian fears during fin de siecle of radical sexuality
DRACULA - female sexuality is menacing to development / maintenance of a patriarchal society - new woman criticism - red lips of vampire women symbolises overt sexuality and also power, the power they have over harker = sexuality as a threat to masculine dominance, to male imagination they represent an overturning of male dominated structure as they tower over harker, who is passive - lucy is punched fir embodying the new woman, stoker sees this as menacing - female vampires prey in children, causing them physical harm, therefore sexual new woman = menacing

Question 32

presentation of menace essay plan - dorian

Answer 32

1- seen through depiction of the dangerous power of influence
DORIAN - lord henry’s manipulation influences dorian and corrupts him + his soul into a force of menace - the portrait is a symbol of his corrupt soul and can cause acts of menace in dorian, basils murder - menace is the wish to cause harm, dorian’s delight in the corruption of his own should = menace, but menace is unnatural to him, causes him guilt over time

2- threats representing biggest victorian fears during fin de siecle of colonialism
DORIAN - dorian’s friendship is fatal to young men therefore he is a threat to aristocratic society which values honour and respectability above all - adrian singleton, goes from rich and respectable to opium dens in east london - alan campbell commits suicide as a result of his guilt, further symbolism as he’s a chemist, link to victorian fears that immoral pursuits such as hedonism will infiltrate both upper class respectability and the development of the west - dorian = menacing to societal development, link to drac

3- threats representing victorian fears during fin de siecle of radical sexuality
DORIAN - many male relationships are suggestive of homosexuality - basil + dorian - dorian’s beauty and allure threatens conservative values and is a force of menace as it draws in men who are eventually ruined or killed

Question 33

presentation of women essay plan - dracula

Answer 33

1- corruption of women
DRACULA - lucy initially innocent - she exerts power over men - blood transfusions - she goes against what is natural - many husbands - and is punished - stoker criticises new woman - dracula preys on women, lucy is punished for her desire to live outside victorian convention

2- sexuality of women - so desirable its a threat vs completely absent
DRACULA - vampire women + lucy - overt sexuality is a threat to male dominated society

3- submission of women - they must serve men vs they are echoes of men therefore submit naturally
DRACULA - mina + ideal perception of woman that doesn’t threaten societal order - smart + resourceful like the new woman but still understands her role is as submissive to men

Question 34

presentation of women essay plan - dorian

Answer 34

1- corruption of women
DORIAN - sibyl innocent and corrupted by dorian’s cruelty, he ruins her - she is unable to cope - men fail her again and again

2- sexuality of women - so desirable its a threat vs completely absent
DORIAN - wildes gaze - women only ever seen platonically, even the romantic interests are not sexualised

3- submission of women - they must serve men vs they are echoes of men therefore submit naturally
DORIAN - women are echoes of the men - wildes gaze = non fleshed out characters - less of a statement about the position of women in society, rather a celebration of a male dominated homosocial society, women have no place in wildes society

Question 35

presentation of desire essay plan - dracula

Answer 35

1- idea that humans desire that which is unnatural or forbidden - sexuality+power of women or eternal youth - both are influenced by important historical events
DRACULA - stoker shows sexual desire as bad - criticism if the new woman - this is seen through lucy and the 3 vampire women

2- desire can be blinding + taboo
DRACULA - overt sexuality is blinding - displays of unabashed female sexuality are overpowering for men - harkers desire for 3 female vampires, arthur’s love + desire for lucy - this is dangerous, the men almost fall into the trap of the female vampires - emphasis on how victorian society + stoker see female sexuality as threatening to a patriarchal society - both of these men are placed into passive roles in these scenes

3- temptation - succumb to desires or resist them?
DRACULA - the crew resist the pull of dracula, with the help of traditional victorian values and religion - his corruption can be seen as a metaphor for sexual freedom, which they fight against

Question 36

presentation of desire essay plan - dorian

Answer 36

1- idea that humans desire that which is unnatural or forbidden - sexuality+power of women or eternal youth - both are influenced by important historical events
DORIAN - wilde shows desire for youth + beauty + experience through dorian - this is influenced by his interest in hedonism + aestheticism

2- desire can be blinding + taboo
DORIAN - dorian desires that which lord henry can teach him + the life style he preaches - this captivates him and leads him down a path of corruption - basil desires dorian, wants him all to himself, and is blinded by this when he cannot see what dorian has become

3- temptation - succumb to desires or resist them?
DORIAN - dorian succumbs and goes down corrupt paths - ultimately his naivety + impressionability was the cause for his overpowering desires + how he is easily influenced, could not escape as he didn’t know anything else

Question 37

use of symbolism essay plan - dracula

Answer 37

1- symbolic settings to emphasise the power of forces of evil
DRACULA - harkers journey shows a transition from flourishing nature to a hellish description - emphasises draculas evil is so powerful it has corrupted the nature around him - his home in whitby? in london therefore creates a fear of his corruption of the english

2- symbols of corruption - blood vs the yellow book + dorians portrait
DRACULA - blood is life - it rejuvenates dracula, he is a force of evil and so is restored with the corruption of others - blood is prone to disease, emphasises draculas corruption of others he feeds from - blood in dracula is perhaps interchangeable with semen, dracula only preys on women, emphasises this - also lucy accepts blood from multiple people and each of the men that loved her, she is corrupted in the eyes of god, here the blood transfusions are a symbol of her promiscuity, further emphasised as she is rejuvinated + flushed after the act, but the men are spent - blood stain on lucy’s white gown - the corruption of her innocence

3- sexual symbolism - women vs the portrait
DRACULA - brazen+blatant female sexuality of the vampires and the overpowering desire it ignites in men symbolises male fears of the overturn of their patriarchal / male dominant society - sexual liberation of women is the empowerment of them, and thus the emasculation + submission of men - also emphasises with colour symbolism - red = sexual, passionate and powerful

Question 38

use of symbolism essay plan - dorian

Answer 38

1- symbolic settings to emphasise the power of forces of evil
DORIAN - east vs west london - as dorian ventures to the opium dens in east london the description mirrors a descent into hell - emphasises the corruption of his soul as he has gone far from the respectability of west london - also adrian singleton, once a respected person in society has been banished to east london where he frequents opium dens, emphasises how dorian has corrupted many others and the force of his evil upon others

2- symbols of corruption - blood vs the yellow book + dorians portrait
DORIAN - yellow book is a symbol of lord henry’s corruptive influence, portrait is a symbol of the corruption of dorian’s soul and his innocence, dorian who was once symbolised by flowers + daisies - heavy contrast emphasises his corruption

3- sexual symbolism - women vs the portrait
DORIAN - basils puts his soul into dorian’s portrait, it is can be seen as a symbol of his passions for dorian, which must be hidden - this portrait ignites dorian’s realisation of the value of his beauty, can be suggested that this is the way basil sees him, his beauty is amplified and made more valuable - when dorian kills basil he feels the passion from the portrait, perhaps his killing of basil is representative of the rage at the homosexual desires within him, killed by stabbing repeatedly, act of penetration supports this

Question 39

presentation of corruption / moral decay essay plan - dracula

Answer 39

DRACULA - physical + sexual corruption

1- force of degeneration
DRACULA - dracula = embodiment of corruption, his taint is left on world around him, seen in setting - corruption of lucy + depiction of the 3 female vampires is stokers criticism on the new woman

2- force of regeneration
DRACULA - dracula himself is restored through corrupting others, gains youth and vitality - also seen with lucy as she becomes a vampire

3- escapable or inescapable
DRACULA - dracula is defeated, religious propoganda? escapable - however lucy does not escape his corruption, again a criticism on the new woman, not worthy of saving?

Question 40

presentation of corruption / moral decay essay plan - dorian

Answer 40

DORIAN - corruption of beauty + morals

1- force of degeneration
DORIAN - portrait is degenerated as dorian becomes more corrupted - symbol of his soul - Q is this (your soul) a worthy price to pay for never aging? - lord henry + his yellow book corrupts dorian, he is impressionable + sympathetic

2- force of regeneration
DORIAN - faustian bargain leaves dorian physically beautiful forever, lord henry celebrates the corrupt life dorian lives

3- escapable or inescapable
DORIAN - descent into hell setting emphasises how far dorian has gone, drugs etc, u,ti ate,y dorian’s guilt over him and the irredeemable corruption of his soul overcomes him - inescapable

Question 41

exploration of power imbalances essay plan - dracula

Answer 41

1- women vs men - traditional and reversed - fin de siecle was a time of imbalance and social disequilibrium
DRACULA - women preyed on by dracula, men protect women - typical gender roles, power over women, dracula even has power over british women - dynamic also reversed, 3 female vampires have power over harker, vampire lucy has power over arthur, gender role reversal in attack on mina/harker - emphasises the dangers of vampirism, to uproot the traditional patriarchal natural victorian society

2- supernatural/superstition vs science
DRACULA - van helsing is the characterisation of this conflict - evident presentation that civil west > east, but eventually religion > science as western men adopt it to might dracula - stokers desire to revert back to a pre science society?

3- between men - dracula and harker, lord henry and dorian - corruptive vs innocent
DRACULA - dracula is at first presented as weak and old, harker is respectable and intelligent, however this soon shifts as dracula overpowers harker, causing his emasculation and psychological torment

Question 42

presentation of power imbalances essay plan - dorian

Answer 42

1- women vs men - traditional and reversed - fin de siecle was a time of imbalance and social disequilibrium
DORIAN - women are weak, submissive, echoes of men - wildes homosocial focus - sibyl vane is the best example, james vane is the patriarch of the family but fails to protect her + avenge her death, dies disappointingly

2- supernatural/superstition/alternative lifestyles vs science
DORIAN - alan campbell - his new hedonism + immoral lifestyle allows him to blackmail + control alan, as a chemist he represents modern science - he kills himself, this shows how dorian not only threatens upper class society but the development of the west, used to show how society fears his lifestyle

3- between men - dracula and harker, lord henry and dorian - corruptive vs innocent
DORIAN - lord henry is corruptive, and holds lots of influence over dorian with his captivating ideas of hedonism and aestheticism

Question 43

how characters cope with suffering essay plan - dracula

Answer 43

1- what suffering occurs + symbolism
DRACULA - mina vs lucy transformations of women - link to victorian/stokers ideas of the new woman - attack on mina and harker = reversal of gender roles

2- how suffering affects victim + coping
DRACULA - lucy + mina are corrupted - mina is the ideal so she is saved, whereas lucy isn’t - her many men and blood transfusions make her unfit? stokers views again promoted here, men band together to save women, suggests female suffering is desirable, perhaps as it suggests weakness?

3- how suffering affects perpetrator + coping
DRACULA - dracula inflicts suffering and as a result he is regenerated and revived

Question 44

how characters cope with suffering essay plan - dorian

Answer 44

1- what suffering occurs + symbolism
DORIAN - ruins many men and sibyl vane - is suffering of aging worth thus exchange? - basils murder - for his homosexuality - is this a deserved fate?

2- how suffering affects victim + coping
DORIAN - sibyl vane commits suicide - unable to cope with suffering - doriand male friends have their reputations ruined and are outcast from society, very victorian era punishments

3- how suffering affects perpetrator + coping
DORIAN - dorian’s soul becomes more and more corrupted, he feels embroiled and trapped in his life of sin, he suffers as a result of inflicting suffering upon others - uses drugs to cope and imprisons his portrait to conceal his suffering and the suffering he has caused - could be guilt, emphasising his own suffering, or could be fear for society to discover it, representative of the time