Dear me! How very improper!!

According to traditional preconceptions the Victorians were very prudent in what they said and did, one of the most common examples being that women could not show their ankles as it was seen as being lewd and similarly the word 'leg' was improper to say in a social context therefore 'limb' was the preferred term.
However, it has become apparent that the Victorians were not as innocent and naive as they would like us to believe! Explicit and erotic writing such as 'My Secret Life' by Walter [Henry Spencer Ashbee] and The Peal show the Victorian's somewhat secretive fascination with sexuality.

This repressed sexuality can be seen reflected in Bram Stoker's Dracula through the subtle references and innuendos throughout the text. None of the text is overtly sexual but if looked at in detail there are many references to sex in the content of the book, for example it could be seen that the vampires biting people could be seen as a reference to penetration.

The presentation of Dracula....

Dracula is presented as being almost supernatural in appearance and countenance as he seems very strong for his apparent old age and "cruel-looking". His face is described as being "strong - a very strong - aqualine..." an his chin is described as "broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin". This suggests that his features do not seem to have softened with age as one might expect and linking back to Harker's earlier description of his "prodigious strength" he seems almost inhuman. Continuing on his inhuman qualities, he seems almost animalistic in appearance with "peculiarly sharp white teeth" and his "squat fingers" and "the nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point". His "peculiarly arched nostrils" could also relate to having animalistic features.

Dracula: Bad Dreams?

Freud suggested that bad dreams can be interpreted as our unconscious trying to resolve a conflict occurring in our lives at present or something that has happened in the past.

In Chapter 3 Jonathan Harker recalls his strange encounter with three women whilst in a dream-like stupor. If I was interpreting this encounter as a bad dream I would suggest that Harker's "desire that they would kiss me with those red lips" is an unconscious hunger for contact with a woman, whether it be in a sexual sense or not. This could either be due to the fact that he has been away from Mina for a long time or because subconsciously he feels that his relationship with Mina is not satisfying him. This could be supported by the fact that he does not try to stop the woman from approaching him even though it becomes apparent that she wants to bite him.

Before the woman can bite Harker, Dracula appears and stops her "as though he were beating them back". This could show that Harker is missing Mina very much as it reflects his current situation, whereby he is being prevented from seeing her by Dracula as he is essentially a 'prisoner' in Dracula's castle.