In a secluded castle in nineteenth-century Styria, young Laura leads a quiet and sheltered life―until a mysterious carriage accident brings the beautiful Carmilla into her home. From the moment they meet, the two women are drawn to one another with an intimacy that is both irresistible and unsettling. But as Carmilla's presence grows more intense, Laura begins to suffer from strange dreams, mysterious weakness, and the terrifying sense that something is visiting her in the night. First published in 1871-72, Carmilla is one of the foundational works of vampire literature and a major influence on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Long before Dracula entered his Transylvanian castle, Sheridan Le Fanu had already shaped many of the themes and conventions that would define the modern vampire tale. At the heart of the novella lies the ambiguous relationship between Laura and Carmilla. Their mutual attraction is unmistakable, yet―as was characteristic of Victorian literature―its lesbian dimension is suggested through gestures, embraces, jealousy, longing, and coded language rather than stated explicitly. A landmark of Gothic fiction, Carmilla is at once a vampire story, a tale of forbidden intimacy, and a haunting exploration of desire that cannot openly speak its name. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Carmilla. Originally serialized in The Dark Blue, London, 1871-1872. First published in book form in In a Glass Darkly, Richard Bentley and Son, London, 1872. The text of this edition is based substantially on the original 1872 book edition. The original British spelling has been retained; obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
