Vampires are one of the most ancient and widely known mythical creatures. They have been a staple in many cultures around the world. The oldest recorded vampire myth of from a Babylonian prayer describes demons that devour flesh and suck blood, emphasizing the vampire’s origins as a symbol of primal fear.
“Spirits that minish the land, of great strength… knowing no mercy, they can rage against mankind. They spill blood like rain, devouring flesh and sucking their veins. They are the demons of full violence, ceaselessly devouring blood”
However, there is no vampire that is more famous than Dracula!
I created this mini unit that is perfect for a broader study on vampires from mythology to modern literature. Or you can easily use it to add in to your studies on Stoker’s Dracula.
In today’s post, I want to suggest teaching Stoker’s Dracula through essential questions based on one of Carl Jung’s theories. By anchoring our analysis of Dracula in juicy essential questions that will spark our students’ interest, we can make it come alive. Here are two questions you can pose when beginning your study on Dracula:
- How do fear and desire interact in the vampire myth?
- In what ways do vampires reinforce or challenge moral boundaries?
Using Carl Jung’s theory of the Shadow Self, we can explore how Dracula reflects fears and desires in readers.
Vampirism and Jung’s Shadow Self Theory
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. He is best known for his theories of the collective unconscious and archetypes. He also introduced psychological concepts like the shadow self and individuation.
Carl Jung’s theory of the “shadow self” refers to the unconscious and repressed aspects of an individual’s personality. These traits are often negative or socially unacceptable, such as selfishness, greed, or anger, but they can also include hidden talents or desires. The shadow includes parts of ourselves that we deny.
We are often unaware of these parts. However, they still influence our behavior and emotions.
Jung believed that the unconscious mind contains our deepest fears, desires, and unresolved conflicts. He also believed that integrating the shadow into conscious awareness is essential for personal growth. By acknowledging and accepting these hidden aspects, individuals can achieve a more complete and balanced self.
If left unaddressed, the shadow can manifest in negative ways. Embracing the shadow requires self-reflection, honesty, and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about oneself.
The Jungian concept of the shadow self sheds light on why vampires captivate us so deeply:
They reflect our darkest fears, hidden desires, and the internal conflicts we often struggle to confront. From the bloodthirsty Ekkimu of Mesopotamia to the tormented characters of Dracula, vampires serve as both cautionary tales and mirrors of the human psyche.
How Vampires Embody the Shadow Self:
According to Jung, the vampire represents the ‘Shadow’ archetype—a symbol of our deepest fears and desires. Some of these are lust, greed, and a fear of death. They can also represent our desire to break free from the societal constraints placed upon us.
One example often seen in Vampiric literature is the Shadow Lover. The vampire may often desire someone that society says they should not. A forbidden love. Such is the case with Carmilla and her desire for Laura. Or Dracula’s fascination with Mina. As a Shadow Lover, they use their lust and desire to seduce those around them in a harmful way.
These and other vampire stories allow readers to explore these repressed aspects of themselves. They can confront their own shadow and those of society through the fear and fascination with the vampire.
Vampires in Literature
Starting around the Victorian era on, vampires in literature now often challenge moral and societal boundaries. Some are evil. Some are tormented. Some desire to be turned and relish in their new, dark selves. Some are forced to turn and are constantly living in a tormented state of fighting their new state of being.
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu:
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla was a groundbreaking Gothic novella that predates Dracula by about 25 years. It also features one of the earliest female vampires in literature. Carmilla explores themes of seduction, desire, and fear, highlighting the evolving portrayal of vampires as both terrifying and alluring.
Carmilla is a vampire who spends months trying to subtlety seduce the female main character, Laura. In this sense, Carmilla is the a type of shadow lover who is seeking companionship by means of turning Laura into a vampire as well. Not only was this dark attraction in general a sense of taboo, but homosexuality in Victorian England was a crime. This story gave its readers a chance to observe “Otherness” from a lens of forbidden desire.
Love will have its sacrifices. No sacrifice without blood. – Carmilla
In fact, the idea is so outside the norm that Laura often plays off the things that Carmilla says as a moment of confusion. She never believes that she is in any danger, even when her heath becomes increasingly poor. Laura is drawn to Carmilla, but her naivety plays off as only a lonely young woman seeking a friend.
You can make strong parallels between Laura and Mina who also often brushes off the paranormal activity around her at first.
Dracula by Bram Stoker:
Dracula serves as a symbol of both physical and moral corruption. His vampirism challenges moral boundaries while also representing forbidden power, lust, and a desire to break free from societal constraints.
One example is when Harker is first introduced to Dracula’s brides. The first social constraint to consider her is that Dracula has THREE brides. Showing that he has no need to conform to any idea of monogamy. The way Harker describes the brides also contrasts with what we would want to believe. They are described as quite beautiful and seductive; while clearly being monsters.
Harker is unable to move with fear as they assess him. However, once the first one finally approaches, it is not only fear that has him pinned,
“I lay quiet, looking out from under my eyelashes in an agony of delightful anticipation. The fair girl advanced and bent over me till I could feel the movement of her breath upon me. Sweet it was in one sense, honey-sweet, and sent the same tingling through the nerves as her voice, but with a bitter underlying the sweet, a bitter offensiveness, as one smells in blood. I was afraid to raise my eyelids, but looked out and saw perfectly under the lashes. The girl went on her knees, and bent over me, simply gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal, till I could see in the moonlight the moisture shining on the scarlet lips and on the red tongue as it lapped the white sharp teeth.”
Notice the words used that indicate a dark desire that is present. His first feelings are “delightful anticipation” and then the word sweet is used 3 times. He then describes the vampire woman as “both thrilling and repulsive”.
While the fear is present, there is also the undeniable desire and lust in the moment. In connection to Jung’s ideas on the shadow self, Harker must confront this darker side of himself that presents himself here.
Later, the character Lucy is turned into a vampire. However, she has been shown throughout the book to be a woman who does not easily conform to the Victorian society rules. At one point she has 3 proposals and hates that she must choose only one. In this way she is already similar to Dracula and his 3 brides. Her transformation is seen as something that stems from her sexual desires and disdain of being forced to love only one man.
Mina, on the other hand, is seduced and forced to drink Dracula’s blood. Her transformation is seen as a violation against her purity and Dracula’s desire to destroy. While some view Dracula’s fixation on Mina as love, there is no evidence to this. Though he does state earlier in the book that, “Yes, I too can love”. It appears that he chooses Mina simply as revenge against Harker.
Final Thoughts: Vampires as Mirrors of Our Inner Darkness
By introducing students to this concept of the Shadow Self and anchoring your reading around these essential questions can help bring Stoker’s Dracula to life!
The Jungian concept of the shadow self sheds light on why vampires captivate us so deeply. They reflect our darkest fears, hidden desires, and the internal conflicts we often struggle to confront. From the bloodthirsty Ekkimu of Mesopotamia to the tormented characters of Dracula, vampires serve as both cautionary tales and mirrors of the human psyche.
With this full unit, your students will examine ancient myths and literary vampire works through the lens of fear, desire, and morality. This approach offers students a chance to explore the cultural origins of these stories. It also helps them understand the psychological themes they represent.
If you only need to focus on Dracula, be sure to check out this resource that introduces students to Jung’s theory and 9 close reads to consider.
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