Vampire Victims

The text below represents Jonathan's and Lucy's account of their vampire attacks (although Lucy is not aware that this is what she is describing, and Jonathan is saved from the attack at the last moment by Dracula). How are these victim interactions with the male and female vampires different? How do the vampires gain power over their prey or seduce them? Think about the specificity or vagueness of the account, length of the description, and repeated words, phrases or ideas.

Jonathan

Lucy

In the moonlight opposite me were three young women, ladies by their dress and manner...All three had brilliant white teeth, that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips. There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina’s eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth. They whispered together, and then they all three laughed- such a silvery, musical laugh, but as hard as though the sounds never could have come through the softness of human lips. It was the intolerable, tingling sweetness of water-glasses when played on by a cunning hand. The fair girl shook her head coquettishly, and the other two urged her on...    ‘He is young and strong: there are kisses for us all.’ I lay quiet, looking out 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 of offensiveness, as one smells in blood.     I was afraid to raise my eyelids... The fair girl went on her knees and bent over me, fairly 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. Lower and lower went her head as the lips went below the range of my mouth and chin and seemed to fasten on my throat. Then she paused, and I could hear the churning sound of her tongue as it licked her teeth and lips, and could feel the hot breath on my neck. The skin of my throat began to tingle as one’s flesh does when the hand that is to tickle it approaches nearer-nearer. I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips, on the supersensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there. I closed my eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited--waited with beating heart.

‘I didn’t quite dream; but it all seemed to be real. I only wanted to be here in this spot-- I don’t know why, for I was afraid of something--I don’t know what. I remember, though, I suppose I was asleep, passing though the streets and over the bridge. A fish leaped as I went by, and I leaned over to look at it, and I head a lot of dogs howling-- the whole town seemed as if it must be full of dogs howling all at one; and then I seemed sinking into deep green water, and there was a singing in my ears, as I have heard there is to downing men; and then everything seemed passing away from me; my soul seemed to go out from my boy and float about in the air. I seem to remember that once the West Lighthouse was right under me, and then there was a sort of agonizing feeling as if I were in an earthquake, and I came back and ound you shaking my body. I saw you do it before I felt you.’   Then she began to laugh.