Carmilla
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales, mystery novels, and horror fiction. He was a leading ghost story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. No less an authority than M.R.
James described Le Fanu as “absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories”—but he was far more than that. His short novel Carmilla is an early tale of vampirism, and it has lesbian elements as well, making it of interest to many scholars and readers today. His best-known works are, of course, Carmilla, plus Uncle Silas and The House by the Churchyard.
- Pages
- 108
- First published
- 2000
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
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Shelved by 9 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished October 9, 2023
Finished October 18, 2024
Finished October 30, 2025
*”Nevertheless, life and death are mysterious states, and we know little of the resources of either.”* What I loved: ✿ beautiful, melancholy prose ✿ toxic female vampire ✿ gothic atmosphere If there is one thing I’ve noticed about classics and their authors, it’s that life and death were contemplated on immensely and placed at the heart of their stories. Carmilla was one of the most influential vampire stories of its time, even inspiring the much more popular Dracula.. and I have to ask why Dracula was so much popular because I enjoyed Carmilla way more. I find myself questioning society’s takeaway with this story as well as Carmilla’s motives. Why is everyone’s assumption that Carmilla is a lesbian and not just a toxic girlish vampire entrancing and targeting girls because she herself was targeted and cursed once upon a time? Maybe it’s a bit of both? I do love the short length of this novel and the answers it prompts me to conclude. Highly recommend this fun classic! Trigger warnings: Blood, Death, Violence, Murder, Racism, Child death, Suicide, Death of parent [✿ Connect with me on instagram ✿](https://www.instagram.com/literarily_laurynn?igsh=aTh6eTZ6dGwxMXpy&utm_source=qr)
Finished February 27, 2026
Give me more lesbian vampires!!! I really enjoyed this book
Finished October 18, 2025
Finished October 21, 2024
Finished May 9, 2022