Interview with Mina Harker

1. Ben Neal
A “Man’s Brain”: An interview with Mina Harker
The Women’s Penny Paper
I received the opportunity to interview the wonderful Mrs. Mina Harker to-day on this
last fine day of September. I traveled out to Carfax, where she was staying with Dr. John
Seward. She invited me to her room where we sat down and conversed for a while. I found her to
be a most fascinating woman. While her countenance was not of extraordinary beauty, I
observed that she was exceptionally erudite and articulate in both speech and manner. The
subject of our discussion was primarily concerned with her high caliber of intellect and the idea
that she possessed a “man’s brain.” I have henceforth transcribed the interview in its entirety,
along with my annotations and commentary.
Note: It may seem odd that I am writing for The Women’s Penny Paper when I am not a woman
myself, but I profess that my interview with Mrs. Harker will still be of great interest. The
headline may seem offensive, but I am certain that it is nothing but complimentary to women.
Ben Neal: Mrs. Harker, where exactly did the notion of you having a “man’s brain” manifest
itself from? Men can be feminists too, can they not?
Mina Harker: It was a comment made by Dr. Van Helsing to Dr. Seward – oh, how sweet and
kind that man Van Helsing is! He said:
“Ah, that wonderful Mina Mina!” She has man’s brain – a brain that a man should have
were he much gifted” (Stoker 234).
I was very much flattered by it.
Note: Her demeanor was quite animated as she relayed this anecdote to me. She was noticeably
proud that men would see her in this way, especially a man such as Dr. Van Helsing. While I am

2. not on intimate terms with Dr. Van Helsing, I am aware of his reputation as a highly educated
and witty man, and I doubt that he would give such a compliment lightly.
BN: That’s quite intriguing, for he not only compares you to a man, but a gifted man. What do
you think have you done to merit such a respect from Dr. Van Helsing?
MH: My husband, Jonathan, is quite intellectual in his own regard. He is a solicitor, and a very
good one. As his partner, I wanted to be useful to him. Several months ago, before we were
married, I said:
“When we are married I shall be able to be useful to Jonathan, and if I can stenograph
well enough I can take down what he wants to say in this way and write it out for him on the
typewriter, at which I am also practicing very hard” (Stoker 53)
At that time, I had also “been working very hard, because I want to keep up with
Jonathan’s studies, and I have been practicing shorthand very assiduously” (Stoker 53). I think
my skills with these devices are a large reason why Dr. Van Helsing offered me such kind praise.
I wanted to do more for my husband besides housekeeping and other “womanly” things that are
typically expected of us. Perhaps it is bold of me, but I wanted to be able to be his partner in an
intellectual sense as well.
In addition, I am an assistant schoolmistress, and as I told Lucy: “the life on assistant
schoolmistress is sometimes trying” (Stoker 53). It is no doubt very rewarding work - but I’m
sure you know how kids are sometimes, Mr. Neal! I have no doubt this contributes to my “man’s
brain” as well, for working in the field of education has undoubtedly sharpened my intellect.
Note: My, she is an intelligent one, and hard-working, too. She is very much like a “new
woman” in this regard. It seems to be more apt to compare her intellect and work ethic to a hard-
working man, rather than a Victorian woman. As a marriage partner, she aspires not to be simply

3. a passive and quiet servant in the background, overshadowed and underutilized by her husband.
Nay, she has as much ambition as any man in England! She does not want to be on a lower tier
than men – she desires to be on an equal level with them in her intellect. It is fascinating indeed,
for she wants to contribute to her husband’s intellectual pursuits in a way that many Victorian
wives could and would not do. Her utilitarian approach to this aspect of her relationship strikes
me very much as her having a “man’s brain.”
BN: I’ve heard about the journal your husband kept while he was a prisoner of the Count in
Transylvania. Do you have any manner of similar writings? If this is the case, do you think this
has contributed to the idea of you having a “man’s brain” as well?
MH: Ah yes, certainly. Back in the beginning of May, I said that:
“I shall try to do what lady journalists do: interviewing and writing descriptions and
trying to remember conversations. I am told that, with a little practice, one can remember all that
goes on or that one hears said during a day” (Stoker 54).
Since then, I have been quite meticulous in keeping a journal recording the events that
have happened this past several months – and thank God for it too, for some of them have been
so very odd and strange! I suppose that is like a man, to be so attentive to detail.
BN: I believe your assessment to be correct, for I notice that you have all manner of boxes, notes,
and books about your room. Pray tell, what are you doing with all of these?
MH: Oh yes, Jonathan and I have been working hard these past few days to arrange every piece
of evidence we have regarding the dreadful business with the Count into chronological order. As
Dr. Seward says, we are “hard at it” (Stoker 225). We have documents from the carriers in
London and the consignee of the boxes in Whitby. I have also written a typescript of Dr.
Seward’s journal. Last night, I said:

4. “I borrowed the files of the Westminster Gazette and the Pall Mall Gazette, and took
them to my room. I remember how much the Dailygraph and the Whitby Gazette, helped us to
understand the terrible events at Whitby when Count Dracula landed, so I shall look through the
evening papers since then, and perhaps I shall get some new light. I am not sleepy, and the work
will help to keep me quiet” (Stoker 224).
I suppose that all this work I have done is a major reason Dr. Van Helsing considers me
to have a “man’s brain” as well, for I am able to contribute to the men’s quest to vanquish
Dracula in a meaningful, intellectual way. I am proud of the role I am serving: someone who
does research, analysis, and fact-gathering. To-morrow I will do more of this work. I believe that
preparation and attention to detail are of exceptional importance – last night I described it as this:
“We must be ready for Dr. Van Helsing when he comes. I have sent a telegram to
Jonathan to come on here when he arrives in London from Whitby. In this matter, dates are
everything, and I think if we get all our material ready, and have every item put in chronological
order, we will have done very much” (Stoker 224).
I think it is this foresight and action that has endeared me in the eyes of Dr. Van Helsing
and the other men. I know that they very much appreciated the hard work I put in. I don’t think it
is extraordinarily common for Victorian women to do work such as this. In this case too, I am the
only woman involved in this whole Dracula business, since dear Lucy passed. I certainly don’t
want to strike you as being too full of bravado and arrogance, Mr. Neal, but I am of the sentiment
that if I was of more average intellectual caliber I would not be able to contribute in the same
manner that I have. I’m not certain that Lucy would have been able to make a similar
contribution to the men as I have in this regard. I am glad to help my husband and our friends in

5. our effort to find and vanquish Dracula, and I am happy to know that in this intellectual aspect
the men think of me as one of their own.
Note: The interview ended after this question. I must agree with Dr. Van Helsing – I am
convinced indeed that Mina possesses a “man’s brain.” Mr. Harker is quite fortunate that he was
able to marry such a fine woman!
The Women’s Penny Paper
Background: The Women’s Penny Paper was actually only in circulation for a little more than
two years, from Oct. 27 1888 to Dec. 27 1890. After that, it became The Woman’s Herald from
Jan. 3 1891 to Dec. 28 1893. In 1893, Lady Henry Somerset bought out the magazine and
renamed it The Women’s Signal. In 1895, the magazine was acquired by Florence Fenwick-
Miller, who was the sole proprietor and editor until the magazine’s end in 1899. The magazine
was published weekly by Marshall & Son, London.
Audience: The Women’s Penny Paper was aimed at a feminist audience.
Purpose: The main purpose of The Women’s Penny Paper was to be a temperance paper, but
weekly editions also dealt with numerous feminist issues, including the question of fair wages.
Style: The Women’s Penny Paper was written in an intellectual, educated tone. Many of the
articles contain well thought-out arguments and debates regarding feminist issues. It offers a
unique perspective in that it claims to be “the only paper in the world conducted, written, printed,
and published by women.”