Book Review: Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu

When it comes to vampires in literature, pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to has mentioned the Cullens from the Twilight series, the Salvatore brothers from the Vampire Diaries, and, of course, Bram Stoker’s legendary Count Dracula. There is, however, another vampire story which seems to have been all but forgotten: Carmilla.

Written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and published in 1872, Carmilla is a short story that first appeared in the Dark Blue magazine from 1871 to 1872 in a serial format. It was later published in 1872 as a single piece in the author’s short story collection – In a Glass Darkly. The Carmilla story pre-dates Dracula by 25 years and is considered to be one of the early works of vampire fiction. It’s also one of the earliest depictions of lesbian vampires in fiction.

There have been a few adaptations of the story over the years, and there’s likely to be many more.

The Story

The story is set up as part of a doctor’s casebook and follows the tale of a girl named Laura.

Laura lives out in the Styrian countryside in an isolated castle with her father and all their servants. She doesn’t have many friends though, and desperately wants that to change. One night, as luck has it, there’s a bad carriage accident near her home and one of the passengers is a girl her own age – the titular Carmilla.

Laura’s father, an English widower, convinces Carmilla’s mother to let him take care of her daughter while she’s away. The strange girl moves in and it’s quickly noted how quirky she is – with a number of strange habits. Things go mostly downhill from there.

Pros and Cons

This section is going to be very short.

I liked the story, the characters are well-written and the prose flows nicely – even if some of it is rather flowery. Additionally, the author has a way of using only a few words to paint a clear picture for the reader which is very uncommon nowadays.

The only real problem that I had with the book was that, despite how well-written they are, many of the characters are very shallow. There isn’t a lot of depth to Laura’s character, and sadly, that extends to pretty much everyone.

Final Thoughts

Overall, in spite of its age, Carmilla holds up really well as a vampire story. When it comes to the lesbian undertones, it’s definitely there – the sexual tension – but it’s not in your face. Of course, the book was written in the 19th Century when things were a bit different, but the point stays the same.

It won’t be for everyone, I get that, and I won’t force anyone to read it. I will say, however, that it’s worth at least giving this book a chance.