Christopher Craft "Kiss Me with Those Red Lips"

     

     Craft discusses in his criticism of Dracula that the gender norms set in place by Victorian society have been inverted. Also, homosexuality and homo-erotic undertones are prevalent throughout the novel, and are emphasized by Craft. Not only are the gender roles and identities inverted, Craft seems to make the case in some instances that gender, being male or female, is almost indistinguishable. For instance, the three female vampires Jonathon encounters. They are described as having voluptuous lips, and the intensity of the passage is quite sensual. Jonathon wishes with a "burning passion" that they would kiss him with their red lips. However, even though the three vampires are described as seductive women, their penetrating fangs are lurking behind the voluptuous ruby lips. 

     Christopher also poses the thought that Stoker is trying to breach the boundaries of homo-eroticism and cross over into homosexuality. Dracula first preys on Jonathon, but indirectly. The three female vampires were created by Dracula, and therefore are an extension of himself. Dracula is able to "live vicariously", so to speak, and penetrate Jonathon through the female vampires. This is accepted in the novel because, as Craft states, being female masks the fact that they are penetrating Jonathon, that he expects and wants this embrace. However, it's not truly the female's embrace, it's Dracula's. 

     As stated later in the article, craft quotes a passage from the novel, "Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine...." (267, 447). He is using this passage to back up the claim that Dracula is using the women to be the go-between for himself and the men. Also, Craft states that Van Helsing tried to correct Lucy's strayed sexuality with penetration, through blood transfusions, here we see the association between blood and semen. However, this "correction by penetration" backfired, because it was just another way for Dracula to consume and/or embrace the men. This is evidenced by this quote from the novel, "Even we four who gave our strength to Miss Lucy it also is all to him" (181, 448). 

     Christopher seems to suggest that Stoker is trying to make homo-eroticism and homosexuality acceptable to the people of the Victorian age, because he states that "only through women may men touch" (448). This suggests that, like other passages discussed above, Dracula is able to express his homosexuality through women. And that because men are using women  to facilitate their sexual desires, they aren't actually tarnishing their reputation.

     Lastly, Craft goes back to his statement that genders are almost indistinguishable. He uses the passage where Dracula is seducing Mina, and almost forcing her to do what he wants. Craft discusses how when Dracula opened one of his veins, the blood "spurted", making reference to semen and ejaculation. However, later on Craft states that Dracula's sexual identity is contradicted and masculine and feminine are intermingled. Craft states that when Dracula takes Mina's neck and presses her mouth to the wound on his breast, "Dracula here becomes a lurid mother offering not a breast but an open and bleeding wound" (458).

     Looking at the novel from Craft's perspective, it seems as though Stoker is trying to rival the idea of the "new woman" with new sexuality, or new gender norms. This is certainly an interesting thought. Craft poses some very good statements, and uses quotes from the novel that seem to back his claim.