Lesbian Subtext - Tumblr Posts

Lucy is so clearly stressed about her upcoming marriage even if some of her affliction is somehow tied to Dracula's arrival. I think this is canon, really. She's doing it because she's supposed to, because her mother is terrified of what will happen to her if she doesn't marry well, etc. She may genuinely like Arthur, but we've little evidence that she loves him the way Mina loves Jonathan.

Learning that Stoker was, by his own admission, very attracted to Walt Whitman, I think it's possible* he actually intended for Lucy and Mina to be in love. Mina is actually less likely, despite her admiration for Lucy's beauty and sweetness, because she's so obviously in love with Jonathan. I think Stoker has her go on about how lovely Lucy is as a way of reinforcing it to the reader, rather than to say Mina is in love with Lucy. Mina, I think, is a "good girl," and her devotion to Jonathan is proof of that. Which isn't to say we shouldn't have our own head cannons.

*possible, but tbh, I think it's unlikely. A lot of men of previous centuries could look at the Ancient Greeks and say m/m love had its place, but women were so often condemned for the slightest sexuality of any kind. I don't think being open to m/m love would automatically make Stoker open to lesbian love.

Anyway, all this to say that I have this feeling that Lucy is in love with Mina. And that's a huge part of why her engagement messes her up so badly. And, in addition, I think it could work within what I know about Stoker's conflict over his attraction to men (which, I'll be the first to admit, is limited knowledge). Like, maybe he imbues Lucy with all his own inner turmoil about forbidden love. I do think he did it to an extent with Jonathan (in the scenes we noted were homoerotic with Dracula, as well as Jon's forbidden attraction to the wives). So Lucy is troubled, and

[spoiler ahead please stop here if you don't like spoilers]

[sorry, idk how to do the break thingy I see on some posts]

[this spoiler concerns Lucy, you have been warned]

[it is a Big spoiler]

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[okay don't say I didn't warn you]

Lucy will be corrupted by Dracula and ultimately she will die. Fits perfectly with the homophobia of the time as well as whatever internalized homophobia Stoker was carrying around. I can see her being in love with Mina and wishing she could escape her marriage as fatal flaws that make her susceptible to Dracula, in Stoker's mind. This is speculation. I know about her fate from movies, but I've never read the book and I've only recently read a little about Stoker. I welcome any comments clarifying things if you know more about it, or giving your opinion. 🙂