Carmilla

by

EPUB3, 162 kB, 299 pages

English language

Published Sept. 12, 2024 by Project Gutenberg.

4 stars (2 reviews)

Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 26 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871–72), the story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein (Carmilla is an anagram of Mircalla). The character is a prototypical example of the lesbian vampire, expressing romantic desires toward the protagonist. The novella notably never acknowledges homosexuality as an antagonistic trait, leaving it subtle and morally ambiguous. The story is often anthologised, and has been adapted many times in film and other media.

121 editions

reviewed Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

no wonder it's a classic

4 stars

devoured this as an audiobook over less than a week. it's a good book of a comfortable length! yes, it's got its clunky parts (especially that last chapter that feels obligated to provide explanations to stuff that really didn't need too much of an explanation or that could have better been explained throughout), but i feel like that is mostly an issue of different stylistic expectations over a 150 year gap. still though, i enjoyed the book, as evident by the speed i read it, and it's nice to catch up on what is a vital piece of both vampire, gothic and lesbian literature.

Subjects

  • English literature
  • Young women
  • Vampires
  • Fiction