19th Century Attitudes Towards Sleepwalking
19th Century Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking plays a significant role throughout the reading of Bram Stokers Dracula. The character Lucy Westenra is the most affected by this phenomenon. Throughout the beginning chapters of the novel, sleeping walking is used to portray a sense of vulnerability. Stoker uses sleepwalking to not only build suspense but also to reinforce the idea that Lucy is being controlled by external forces. With sleeping being one of the most vulnerable states your body can be in, the idea of predator and prey is strongly acknowledged.
The History of Sleepwalking
“Later, until the early 19th century, a sleepwalker was considered as an insane person, and this state was linked to madness and other mental disorders. Only in the last century, when sleep medicine developed, somnambulism was classified as a sleep disease belonging to the group of parasomnias.” Riva Michele Augusto,
This idea is extremely significant because sleepwalking was not viewed as a paranormal activity. Over the last century we have had many medical advancements that prove these ideologies to be false. Due to the belief that sleepwalkers were considered “insane” or “mad” the people being subjected to this phenomenon would be outcasted and ridiculed. The image shown above shows a woman in her nightgown presumably being led to her death. Reinforcing these ideas of madness and insanity. The two men in the background have shocked expressions on their faces but neither are running in an attempt to help.
How Sleep Walking Is Portrayed Today
“The unrealistic posture of outstretched arms and eyes closed was found in 20% of movies and 79% of cartoons. Night terrors, sexsomnias (kissing, having sex, initiated pregnancy), sleep-related eating and sleep driving were also featured. Homicides and falls while sleepwalking were recurrent fear-inducing topics.” Dalloz, Marie-Ameile
Connection to Dracula
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula Lucy is directly affected by the issues discussed above. One of the most prominent examples of this is when she wanders into the graveyard. "I was not able to light on any map or work giving the localities of the country anywhere around Whitby, so I took to my feet, and went out to look for it. After wandering about for a while I found myself near the abbey, and so down to the churchyard. There sitting on one of the benches, by the churchyard wall, I found Lucy, with her head lying back over the edge of the seat, asleep. She was pale, and her breathing was heavy, and the open mouth showed the pale gums."(Dracula, Bram Stoker, 1897, Chapter 8) This is the very beginning of Lucys descent into Dracula’s control. The almost angelic portrayal of her is a sinister reminder of her purity being drained from her body. She is completely out of her own control Being overtaken by an unseen force.
Works Cited
Riva Michele Augusto, “Sleepwalking in Italian Operas: A Window on Popular and Scientific Knowledge on Sleep Disorders in the 19th Century” Karger, https://karger.com/ene/article/63/2/116/124321/Sleepwalking-in-Italian-Operas-A-Window-on-Popular, 30 March 2025
Dalloz, Marie-Ameile, “From burlesque to horror: a century of sleepwalking on the silver screen” ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138994572100397X#:~:text=The%20unrealistic%20posture%20of%20outstretched,were%20recurrent%20fear%2Dinducing%20topics., 30 March 2025
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Edited by Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal, W.W. Norton, 1997.
.jpg)
I found it very interesting how people that sleepwalked were thought of during this time period, as the general consensus was that people who sleepwalked were mentally insane. Nowadays, that is not really the case, but I really enjoyed the notion that you presented about control. People that sleepwalk acting like they are being controlled fits right into Stoker's novel and Dracula's supernatural powers. You made some great connections and had really intriguing information in this blog. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis research has helped me understand why Mina was so protective over Lucy when she would sleepwalk. Since they were friends, Mina did not want her to be outcasted or ridiculed because of something she couldn't control.
ReplyDeleteThis blog provides a lot of thoughtful insight into how sleepwalking was perceived in the 19th century. I never would have believed that it was looked down upon and that many people that sleepwalked were seen as a mentally insane, mad, or linked to mental disorders. In current times, sleep walking is seen in a more comedic light and normalized. Knowing all of this background information makes the scene of Lucy sleepwalking even more intriguing. Mina was so protective of Lucy when she discovered that she was sleepwalking because she didn't want people to see Lucy and begin to think she has gone mad or is mentally insane. This information really helped me understand how sleepwalking could impact someone's reputation during this time period and recognize why it was crucial to get Lucy out of the cemetery in a timely manner. This is a very engaging and insightful blog!
ReplyDeleteI love your commentary here! I found it interesting how in depth you looked at not only mental health in the 19th century but focused in on sleepwalking since it's such a strong image in the novel. Your discussion was helpful to understand why it was so important that Lucy not be seen sleepwalking! The repercussion wouldn't just come from the suggestion that Lucy is "promiscuous" but because of sleepwalking's link to insanity. (At the time)
ReplyDelete