Culture

Sexuality and Other themes from Dracula

03/10/11 07:31

Sexual imagery is pervasive not only at times when Dracula is claiming a new victim, but throughout the entire book. The most notable example can be seen when Stoker describes Lucy’s death. He writes, “[Lucy’s] body shook and quivered and twisted in wild contortions; the sharp white teeth champed together till the lips were cut, and the mouth was smeared with a crimson foam. But Arthur never faltered…driving deeper and deeper…” In the time that this book was written this passage would have been viewed as inappropriate and more than slightly pornographic. Sexual curiosity was extremely taboo in Victorian society, and Stoker uses that taboo to associate the evil and undead with sexuality.
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Dexter

22/09/11 17:43

Muffled screams echo through the vacant parking lot. The silhouette of a man brandishing a blade appears onscreen; as our eyes adjust to the darkness, we begin to see the macabre scene before the shrouded figure. Our previously poised composure begins to crack as sheer suspense tempts our curiosity. Questions flood our minds. The suspenseful characteristic of the thriller and horror genres is the reason shows and movies of this genre are so frightening and fascinating. While Dexter is not a horror show in the traditional sense, it does possess characteristics reminiscent of the genre: blood, gore, and an eerily nonchalant attitude towards murder. However, Dexter’s most terrifying aspect is the subtle hint that everything we see onscreen could manifest in our lives as well.

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Monster Culture

28/08/11 11:11

The final thesis in Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s “Monster Culture (Seven Theses)” proposes, “The Monster Stands at the Threshold of Becoming” (20). Monsters exist, for Cohen, not because we want them but because we need them, because they not only reflect who we are but influence who we will become. Putting aside Cohen’s discussion, what is a monster to you? How would you define the word “monster”?

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