The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty, and the purity to voluptuous wantonness" (Stoker 225). It is clear that wantonness is not a characteristic to be admired in Victorian times, because he compares her wantonness to cruelty, as well. Clearly, both these novels echo the time they were written and society's views on women. Women play insignificant and "wanton" roles in both books, and they are a source of motherly love and distress. One critic, however, feels the novel may be a beacon of change, too. He writes, "Dracula is not only a threat but also imaginative and physical vitality, a catalyst for change. The novel suggests that a new understanding of sexuality and decay is necessary for any attempt to attain social order and growth" (Boone). What is most interesting about these two novels is that they portray relatively like views of women, yet one was written by a man, and the other a woman, indicating how pervasive (and persuasive) society's view of women was at the time, but that at least one author thought those views warranted societal change.
While there are many similarities between these two horror novels, there are some clear differences, as well. There is a distinct Christian influence in "Dracula" that has been noted by many critics and reviewers. The characters often call on God throughout the novel, such as, "God pity me! Look down on a poor soul in worse than mortal peril; and in mercy pity those to whom she is dear!' Then she began to rub her lips as though to cleanse them from pollution" (Stoker 288). On the other hand, Shelley uses God more in times of despair, and there is not such a feeling of good and evil, God vs. The devil in her story. Instead, it focuses on the weaknesses of man and their desires, without as much interest in the spiritual side of the story.
In addition, Stoker sets his novel mostly in Victorian London, a location that many of his early readers could certainly relate to, while Shelley prefers much more exotic locations, such as the North Pole, Geneva, and Scotland, which gives an air of mystery and excitement to her book. To give his novel excitement, Stoker creates Transylvania as a home for vampires and other evil beings,...
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