Near the end of the 19th century, the dominantly patriarchal society of western culture began to feel a coming struggle for social power. It was at this time that the term, “the New Woman” came to exist. The New Woman did not follow the rules and limitations set by male-dominated society, but rather, had complete control of all aspects of her life – whether that meant social, personal or economic. This early feminist movement allowed women the opportunity to experience and exhibit a newfound freedom, which greatly threatened society’s expectations of how women should behave. The growing fears of the patriarchy began to find their way into vampire literature, which – from their earliest appearances in history – have always represented the anxieties and fascinations of society. Writers have often turned to vampires – creatures that have the power to symbolize death, destruction and chaos while still maintaining a sense of fantasy and allure – to present and discuss opinions on controversies. The emergence of the New Woman would eventually lead to the popularity of such works as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s, “Carmilla” and Bram Stoker’s, “Dracula”. Both works portray the desires and fears of the 19th century patriarchy and…show more content… Laura, who has spent all her life in a “lonely and primitive place” (Le Fanu, 72), does not have the experience necessary to understand the implications of Carmilla’s advances. Due to her young age, Lucy is often presented as childishly flirtatious, such as when she writes to Mina about her three proposals: “Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble?” (Stoker, 50) However, by the end of “Carmilla” we see that, unlike Lucy, Laura survives the vampire attack. In this way, the similarities between Laura’s and Mina’s fate becomes much more