[matt cardin]

Quote Originally Posted by Hidden X

Quote Originally Posted by Druidic Freudian reductionism and cries of antisemitism have hurt the novels reputation for now. It will survive. Meh, Stoker's repressed sexuality and fear of immigration are at the core of the novel, but being aware of that only enhances the experience rather than damaging its value as a horror novel. There is no sense in trying to ignore those aspects of the work.

While it's true that those aspects of Dracula are there for the seeing, and that recognizing them can open up valuable avenues of understanding, it's also true that the orthodox critical/scholarly viewpoint that sees the novel as being only about those things is patently foolish and shallow, not to mention ideologically motivated. That it has become the orthodox consensus at all says more about the critics and scholars, and about the specific ideological and intellectual culture they represent (and have helped to create), than it does about Stoker and Dracula.