Explore the way in which authors present women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and one other key Gothic text

Dracula and The Bloody Chamber present differing views on women, perhaps due to the zeitgeist within which they were produced. Dracula, although offering a strong female character in the form of Mina, falls short of any meaningful depth. This is shown in moments such as Van Helsing referring to her as having a “mans brain” and her attachment to Jonathan Harker. Both these reflect Victorian views on separate spheres of gender, rather than allowing Mina to be presented as a woman who has strength of mind in her own right.
However, the eponymous tale of Carter’s ‘The Bloody Camber’ is a retelling of the tale of Bluebeard. Rather than victimising the female protagonist however, she gains autonomy through her exploitation of the castle against her husbands will. Whilst this act puts her in peril, it paves the way for her mother to rescue her through the murder of her abusive husband. This subverts the conventional fairytale motif of the ‘knight in shining armour’. As a second wave feminist this is typical of Carter’s works, and creates a stark contrast to Stoker’s writing.