Teaching notes · Example 1
Teaching notes: Women and victimhood in Dracula
Essay question‘Stoker presents the female characters in the novel as little more than victims.’ How far, and in what ways, do you agree with this comment on Stoker’s presentation of the female characters in the novel Dracula?
These notes sit outside the example essay. They are Estate teaching suggestions, not a College Board mark scheme or a prediction of an AP score.
Points for class discussion
- Who controls each woman’s account of her experience?
- Does Lucy’s speech complicate the description “victim”?
- How does Mina’s compilation affect the group’s ability to act?
Use the example for your assignment
This is a researched classroom essay, not an official or scored AP model. Use its literary argument and preparation flexibly.
Identify the thesis, the precise evidence that supports it and one complication the argument genuinely addresses. Ask how the conclusion interprets the work rather than just repeating a topic. If you adapt the material to an AP prompt, build a fresh plan around that prompt.
AP scoring and reader guidance · Return to the preparation and essay
Prepared by the Bram Stoker Estate. Page last updated 8 November 2026. Report a correction here.