Yes, that definitely means pre-transformation book Lucy, not post-transformation book Lucy or any stage of Sadie Frost Lucy. Mina’s lower-middle class and familiar with technology and has practical skills and actively takes the initiative/charge at times. She’s not what we’d think of as a bad-ass heroine now, but from the point of view of a crusty 19th Century male author who wasn’t super-keen on women at the best of times she’s comparatively pro-active and empowered. Lucy’s upper class and completely useless at everything. Her only known skills are looking pretty and being sweet in a rather childish way (when she’s not being incredibly thoughtless, in a similarly childish way). She also spends more than half the time between her first appearance and her death/transformation suffering from the well known congenital Angel of the House condition known to medical science as Victorian Novel Disease. Lucy 1.0’s job is to make men (characters and readers) sad when she dies. Lucy 2.0’s job is to remind us chaps how scary female sexuality is. Mina actually does things (beyond getting a sex change and a starring role from JK Rowling).

One of the themes of Dracula is definitely the transition of power from the English upper classes to the English and American middle classes. Dracula’s failure to understand this is an important part of his downfall. Lucy and Arthur represent (for Stoker) what’s good in the old order of things.

As for what the hell Coppola or anyone else involved with Bram Stoker’s Bogus Journey thought Sadie Frost (or the rest of that film) was there for, I have no idea.

Glad you enjoyed the interview.

Ooh, good point – I took it to mean Lucy pre-downfall, as she is readable as quite innocent (later portrayals like the film with Sadie Frost for example very much add in more differentiation with Mina by having her be more sexually aware and worldly).

The most obvious and irritating stereotype is the angel of the house, or the innocent virgin, the best example being Lucy Westenra in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Is this an interpretation of Lucy I’m not familiar with, or does Tom mean Mina Harker?

Fascinating insights, though. Thank you.