You might be interested in part of a paper (Unconventional Women In A Conventional Age: Strong Female Characters In Three Victorian Novels) because there's the topic of Mina and the New Woman. About Mina's comments about the New Woman proposing:
Most critics, including Carol Senf, Phyllis Roth, and Rebecca Pope, interpret this as a sarcastic remark intended to criticize the New Woman. However, as Jean Lorrah points out, sarcasm wouldn’t be consistent with the reading of a nineteenth-century text, or with Mina Harker’s character (32). So why would Mina find consolation in the idea of women proposing marriage? According to Stephanie Demetrakopoulos, this remark indicates that Mina sees women’s initiative as a good thing and believes that women should be allowed to choose a spouse (110).
Although Mina is already engaged and can’t propose, as she imagines a New Woman would, what Mina does is hardly less assertive. After hearing of Jonathan’s “brain fever,” Mina travels to meet him, care for him, and marry him. At the time she receives news of Jonathan’s illness, he is so ill that he cannot write and one of his caregivers writes for him. Mina takes the initiative to not only travel—alone—out of the country to meet him, but she plans their marriage as well (Lorrah 33). When Mina arrives at the hospital in Budapest where Jonathan is being cared for, she immediately arranges for their marriage, which takes place the next day as soon as Jonathan awakens. He is still so ill at the time of their marriage that he takes his marriage vows in bed, “propped up with pillows” (129). Clearly, Mina is in control here.
Ok I ACTUALLY REMEMBER THIS!!!
I don’t believe I got to read the entire essay (I believe I read Mina’s though), but I did read a bunch of it!! I absolutely loved it. Thank you for the rec, Anon. I completely agree here. She IS an assertive woman and I love that about her.
Her unwillingness to be submissive and just let things lie is definitely what helps the group win in the end. If she had just let Jonathan stick it out in the asylum, would he have been able to bounce back fast enough for him to recognize Dracula later?? Or what about her meticulous news-gathering to record all of Dracula’s deeds so they would know everything he’s done? The HYPNOSIS?? Preaching to the choir here but her assertiveness is Dracula’s worst enemy and he knows it.
Also bonus: this essay included Jane Eyre and SHE’S one of my favorite characters too. So yes, amazing recommendation, 10/10. I’m going to go back and reread the whole thing! May leave an addition to this when I’m done, but wanted to answer this now so at least you know I did read most of it!!
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