Carmilla (1872)
Related: 1800s literature - gothic novel - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - vampire fiction - lesbian vampire - lesbian literature - 1872
Carmilla (1872) by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
[Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]Carmilla became a heroine for twentieth-century feminists by invading a castle, suborning the authority of its male owner and providing a luring prototype of female intimacy. She transcends Olympia in E.TA. Hoffmann's story The Sandman or Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter. --Richard Davenport-Hines [1]
Unidentified Italian cover of this book
Description
Carmilla is a vampire novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, first published 1872, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by over twenty years. It is considered one of the greatest in the genre, despite the overwhelming popularity of Dracula, which was strongly influenced by Carmilla. Though Carmilla was not the first vampire novel (the considerably older The Vampyre by John William Polidori probably holds that title), it was certainly an influential work. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmilla [Jul 2005]Carmilla is a vampire novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and perhaps one of the greatest in the genre, despite the overwhelming presence of Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, which was strongly influenced by Carmilla. Though Carmilla was not the first vampire novel (the considerably older The Vampyre by John William Polidori probably holds that title), it was certainly an influential work.
Carmilla is richly atmospheric, eerie, unsettling and deeply frightening to those of a nervous disposition. It was first published in a collection of short stories, In a Glass Darkly in 1872. Its setting is a parochial section of Styria province, Austria.
Carmilla, the title character, is the original prototype for a legion of female (and often lesbian) vampires. Though Le Fanu portrays his vampire's sexuality with the circumspection that one would expect for his time, the reader can be pretty sure that lesbian attraction is the main dynamic between Carmilla and the narrator of the story. Carmilla selected exclusively female victims, though only became emotionally involved with a few. Carmilla had nocturnal habits, but was not confined to the darkness. She had unearthly beauty and fantastic strength; she was able to change her form and to pass through solid walls. Her animal alter ego was a monstrous black cat, not a bat as in Dracula. She did, however, sleep in a coffin.
This novella absolutely suceeds at putting into words the feelings of the Gothic subculture. Carmilla has been the subject of a number of films. A film Et mourir de plaisir (Literally "And to die of pleasure...", but actually shown in England as "Blood and Roses") was made of Carmilla by French director Roger Vadim, with cinematography by Claude Renoir; it is perhaps one of the greatest of the vampire genre movies, and, predictably enough in a film by Vadim, thoroughly explores the lesbian implications behind Carmilla's selection of victims.
The British pulp horror movie house Hammer Films also had a go at Carmilla in Lust for a Vampire, its sequel Twins of Evil and The Vampire Lovers, Ingrid Pitt appearing in these as the anagramatically renamed Mircalla. In all there are about twelve instances of films based on the Carmilla story.
The animated film Vampire Hunter 'D': Bloodlust includes a character named Carmilla who is the lingering spirit of a long-dead yet very powerful vampire countess who continues to rule her castle. This is one of a very few movies that portrays a vampire's spirit as having not only the capacity to physically manifest itself, but also the ability to reasonably and dynamically interact with living beings (i.e. one could carry on a normal conversation with her).
Though Carmilla was a seminal work for the genre of vampire fiction, there is also a modern tale that directly incorporates Le Fanu's character. Carmilla: The Return, written in 1999 by Kyle Marffin, begins in 19th-century Austria but follows Carmilla's life into 1990s Michigan. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmilla [Mar 2005]
See also: lesbian vampire - lesbian - vampire - Dracula -
Influence of the novel
Carmilla, the title character, is the original prototype for a legion of female (and often lesbian) vampires. Though Le Fanu portrays his vampire's sexuality with the circumspection that one would expect for his time, the reader can be pretty sure that lesbian attraction is the main dynamic between Carmilla and the Laura, narrator of the story. Carmilla selected exclusively female victims, though only became emotionally involved with a few. Carmilla had nocturnal habits, but was not confined to the darkness. She had unearthly beauty and was able to change her form and to pass through solid walls. Her animal alter ego was a monstrous black cat, not a bat as in Dracula. She did, however, sleep in a coffin.
Carmilla is richly atmospheric, eerie, unsettling and deeply frightening to those of a nervous disposition. Its setting is a parochial section of Styria state, Austria. As such it sets the standard for Gothic vampire literature, a genre which is not usually dealt with, as vampire stories (such as Dracula) lean more towards horror than Gothic or romantic in style of writing.
As such, this novella absolutely succeeds at putting into words the feelings of the modern Gothic subculture. Not only did Carmilla set the standards for Gothic and vampire style and characteristics, it influenced a number of books and movies, most notably Bram Stoker's Dracula. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmilla [Jul 2005]
See also: Elizabeth Bathory
Hammer Studios Karstein Trilogy
I first became acquainted with Carmilla from the Hammer Studios Karstein Trilogy of The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, and Twins of Evil. The Vampire Lovers is the only one that draws from this book. The book starts getting into the movie from about the fifth chapter. I recognised dialog and descriptions in the plots of both. It's quite a liberal adaption, but the essence of the story remains intact. For example, the dialog isn't verbatim. The single line from The Vampire Lovers, of "You must die, everybody must die" is about a paragraph's length of dialog in the book. It's a fantastic tale. Most of the lesbian is implied, and I caught gratuitous nudity added to the movie, which does add to the movie's appeal. I love the short length of about 150 pages. It never drags, and the chapters are no more than 10 pages each, making for easy reading. I put Carmilla above Bram Stoker's Dracula. Carmilla is a must-have for people with more than a passing interest of the vampire myth. I highly recommend this book. It's excellent. --amazon.com
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