Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on Sexuality in Literature
Sexuality in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on Sexuality in Literature
The vampire has always been a contradictory figure: on the one hand a repellent blood-sucking creature crawling from the grave, and, on the other, a strangely alluring representation of nocturnal glamor and potent sexuality (Buzwell). Moreover, not many people can have a chance to enter their unique world, but everything has an exception. In Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, Bella got pregnant, but the fetus is risking Bella’s life; therefore, Edward wants her to give up the fetus. After Bella’s strong resistance, the Cullens finally agreed to keep the unborn baby, and they successfully saved the baby and Bella. When Bella was giving birth to the baby, her heartbeat stopped, so Edward has to turn her into a vampire to save her life. By the …show more content…
When the Cullens went out hunting, Edward discovered that he could hear what the baby’s thought: “‘Now that I can make out the child’s thoughts, it’s apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities’…‘He loves her. Already’” (Meyer 339). This evidence shows the baby is not an ominous monster, and he or she loves Bella and did not want to hurt Bella on purpose. Furthermore, when the readers think that the fetus is a monster ☺ (Metaphors), Edward created exciting news and told the Cullens that the fetus adores Bella. The plots are getting more interesting to the readers because Edward can read the baby’s mind. It might foreshadow that the baby will be a deft vampire like his or her father ☺ (Simile) in the future, but it also might be foreshadowing that the Volturi will want to destroy the Cullens and the werewolves, and take away the baby because he or she is so talented. The abundant plots gather readers’ attention and let the readers’ be more addicted to the book. Apparently, the author created abundant plots in the book, so the novel deserves a
In bite me or don’t: twilight as abstinence porn, Christine Seifert from Westminster college in Utah, analyzes the twilight saga. Describing twilight saga as an abstinence porn saga. Christine agrees with twilight fans about the lost of abstinence and sexual tension in breaking dawn. Christine is a feminist writer from the Bitch magazine she emphasizes most of her critics towards Bella describing her as weak and with no control over her body (348). Seifert believes that Edward is in control of Bella’s protection, humanity and virginity.(348)Christine uses rhetorical strategies during her discussion, persuading the reader about the life of Bella as a teenage mom and how twilight transmits a message of abstinence.
In chapter 23, Professor Van Helsing mentions that Count Dracula was in life a “wonderful man,” a soldier, and a statesman, (Stoker, 1897/2001, pp.289). Although Stoker in his original book does not clarify how count Dracula became a vampire, there are references in the text that suggest it was the result of necromancy. In chapter 18, Van Helsing reveals that the Count was a student of alchemy, necromancy, and the occult (Stoker, 1897/2001). He further mentions that Dracula attended the “Scholomance,” a mystical school in the mountains, where the students are tutored by the devil himself (Stoker, 1897/2001; pp. 231). This point is taken further by Montague Summers (as quoted in Laycock, 2009, pp.19-20), through his words- “The vampire is believed to be one who has devoted himself during his life to the practice of Black Magic…”. These references in the book and interpretation in the Laycock’s work, lead to the conclusion that the Vampire-Dracula was the result of his deeds and practices during his lifetime. On the other hand, Cullen was the son of a pastor, who hunted monsters like “…witches, werewolves… vampires” (Meyers, 2005, pp. 331). When the pastor grew old, Cullen assumed the mantle of the monster slayer. Unfortunately, during a hunt, he was bitten by an old vampire he was chasing. After his transformation, Cullen, repulsed by what he had become,
these wolves were sent to do this job. However, he forces himself to stay away from the Cullens, vampires, because of his love and loyalty to Bella. This love turns sour when Edward Cullen is forced to turn his wife, Bella, into a vampire. Jacob hates Edward for what he has done to Bella and in a spur-of-the-moment decision makes up his mind that Edward should be killed. He is so furious he does not even bother to learn the reasons Edward has done this act. Jacob goes to the Cullens' house, where his whole life is about to change. "The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. It was the baby that held me here now. Renesmee" (Breaking Dawn,shmoop.com). As soon as he sets eyes on the precious, half-vampire, he knows Renesmee is his soul mate
The death of the child in Dracula and the death of babies in the book, Night, represents that children and women were depicted as feeble and fragile, which could represent the reformation of the belief that all children and women are feeble. In the book, Dracula, vampires often target those weaker to them. For example, Dracula would often feast upon women, while, female vampires would often target children. Therefore, the death of the child in Dracula represents the purification of the belief of natural weakness, "If my ears did not deceive me there was a gasp and a low wail, as of a half-smothered child. The women closed round, whilst I was aghast with horror, but as I looked they disappeared and with them the dreadful bad" (Stoker 42). Thus,
In Bram Stoker's Dracula, the most blatant and powerful symbol is blood. He takes the blood that means so much to the believers of this legend and has it represent more than even they could imagine. Blood is the main object associated with vampires and vampirism. From a mythical standpoint, it is the basis of life for the vampires as they feed off of the blood of young, vibrant souls. From a more scientific standpoint blood is what would drip out of the corpse's mouth when family members would dig up their dead kin to check for the dreaded disease. Stoker takes the significance of this symbol and puts his own unique twist to the meaning of blood. He combines the traditional folklore of vampirism and the immense sexual undertones of the Victorian era to create a simply horrific tale which completely confuses the emotions of his readers. Stoker knew bloods importance in vampire history and used the overwhelming symbolism to convey his own personal lust and sexual obsessions. The scenes where Lucy is receiving transfusions; first from Holmwood, then from Seward, and the unforgettable vampire baptism between Dracula and Mina all have these very erotic, sexual feelings associated with them. What makes these so powerful is the combination of violence and sex. As a reader, you know that what Dracula is doing are horrific and wrong, but because they are so sexually described and associated you think you should enjoy them, but you can't. This is the confusion which stoker implements into his readers minds, especially ones of the Victorian era. This is why stoker used blood as the most important symbol in the novel; to create an intense horror that was not just in the words of the book, but in the minds of the reader.
Because I have never been a person with racist views, it is hard for me at times to put myself in the shoes of someone who may view things different and see things from their point of view. With that being said, I find it hard or unreal to believe/understand what may be racial implications in Twilight, mainly because I do not view things the same way others might when comparing and contrasting racial differences. I feel like the information in this article seemed valid, and agree that it may be possible that to some extent there are some racial depictions in the movie and book. I do think that maybe not with negative intentions the author may have included those things. I think she may have included those things to realistically imply society today, and some of the social issues we face as humans. I do not agree with racial discrimination, but sadly, it is an issue that is common in society amongst many. I would not be surprised is Bella’s natural instinct was to choose Edward because of what society has created to be desirable, intriguing, and
When the vampire came about the thought of the monsters themselves were terrifying, and to view one they were ghostly pale with dark sunken eyes, large nose similar to that of the stereotypical witch, pointed ears like an elf and dark hair usually dark brown if not black. The original folklore on vampires showed a terrifying creature that you would know if you would see it out and about during the night. Today’s films and novels want to present you with an attractive vampire, like dying and becoming an immortal being is something a human would want to do because they would become more attractive. But also in today’s depiction of the vampire they have no obvious tells that a person is a vampire until they get angry and the fangs elongate. The idea of the vampire has shifted so drastically over the course of time, from fear to an admiration of a creature that could kill you in seconds. In the popular culture of today, the vampire is something attractive that girls pine after and want to be since there are a multitude of romance novels printed today with the male leads being portrayed as a
In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.
Dracula is “un-dead”, once human before his vampire state and clearly separate from human form, establishing his frightening allure. His fangs, hands and sharp nails are horrifying up close. He is not corpse at first look, mysteriously resisting the decay of death. Dr. Seward comments, “she was, if possible, more radiantly beautiful than ever; and I could not believe she was dead” on Lucy’s vampire state (Stoker 200). At several points in the novel Dracula is life like, “simply gorged with blood; he lay like a leech, exhausted with his repletion” (Stoker 52). The monstrous life in death is an “essential gift of Stoker’s vampires to the twentieth century; a reminder, not of the dreadfulness of death, but the innate horror of vitality” ( Auerbach 95). Edward is opposite in appearance to Dracula. The venom from the bite that transforms human into vampire freezes their appearance forever. Edward was bitten at 17, and never labeled as horrifying.
These novels tell the dark love story between Bella Swan, an average, somewhat shy high school student, and Edward Cullen, a mysterious and strong vampire. Rape culture is evident throughout these four novels. For example, when Bella’s best friend Jacob kisses her against her will, she tries to fight it and then gives up “acting on instinct…I opened my eyes and didn’t fight”. Charlie, Bella’s father, asked Jacob why Bella hit him, and when Jacob said “because I kissed her”, Charlie said “good job kid”. At another point in the novels, Bella admires the bruises on her skin after having sex with
Despite popular culture today with shows like The Vampire Diaries where vampires are often continuing their daily lives as if they are human and being the heroes to their friends and/or family, Dracula is a depiction of how vampires have, for centuries, been exposed as bloodthirsty, supernatural beings with sexual appeal. The way women are portrayed in Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, is a result of the Victorian ideals. Once Dracula begins to feed on the women, they become bloodthirsty temptresses which are exactly what society fears and try to prevent. In Dracula, Stoker makes sexuality directly linked to the vampirism in the novel. This is seen through the change of Lucy’s somewhat modest behavior into a temptress, the blood-sharing between characters in the novel, and the description of the way Lucy was killed.
In the article, “Civilized Vampires Versus Savage Werewolves: Race and Ethnicity in the Twilight Series,” Natalie Wilson compares the physical appearance and qualities of the two main character groups in the Twilight series, and how they represent a much deeper issue of class and racial inequality. First, Wilson compares the physical traits of Edward Cullen and the vampires, who are extraordinarily beautiful and have pale white skin, to the traits of Jacob Black and the werewolves who have copper skin, dark features, and look animalistic. Wilson also compares their personalities, the vampires being intelligent and well behaved, and the werewolves who are irrational and hostile. The two are further compared by their wealth. Edward has a seemingly endless supply of funds, lives in a mansion, drives a nice car, and wears sophisticated clothing, where Jacob lives in a small house, drives an old car, and wears tattered clothes. Wilson uses this collected information to bring to light the undercurrent of white privilege that is displayed throughout the Twilight series. It is also important to note, that in the story, Bella Swan a white teenage girl, is caught in a love triangle between Jacob and Edward.
Essay #1: Sexual Politics It has been said that “Society has always defined for us what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, what a man should be like and what a woman should be like, and these traditional definitions of gender roles have limited and even harmed individuals”. The theme of sexual politics comes to mind in this quote. One can define sexual politics as the relationship of the sexes, male and female, regarding power. Society’s definition of this can limit an individual in their gender role and restrain a person from being themselves.
...e people and love the living. Next, since when have vampires protected humans? Vampires are supposed to be creatures that prey ruthlessly upon humans, not cold-blooded creatures that assure the safety of humans. Along with that, what type of vampire refuses to drink human blood? Isn’t that what the most basic and well-known trait of a vampire? Apparently, Twilight has changed the most fundamental and defining trait of the monster called the vampire, the thirst for human blood. What do you call a vampire that doesn’t drink blood. This change has led Yabroff to say “Twilight especially pushed the vampire myth to it’s extreme”(Yabroff par.7). Thus, there are many differences with the original vampire and the new Twilight version. The past work of all fictional writers, movie directors, etc. have all been spat on by the new refined vampire image from the Twilight Saga.
This fetish has been manifested in the movies I view, the television shows I watch, and the books I read. When my obsession with reading is crossed with my obsession with monsters, the result is a bookshelf containing more vampire novels than most people would consider healthy. I have discovered that every vampire novel varies vastly; no two books are ever alike. For example, the Twilight Series, the Anita Blake Series and the Vampire Chronicles Series have different legends and lore, different relationships between vampires and society, and different genres, theme, and purpose; this array of novels displays most clearly the range of audience the vampire genre can cater. The Twilight series is a bestselling series written by Stephanie Meyer that has captivated millions of teenage girls.