Carmilla
Ratings173
Average rating3.8
A short little story, but I only read a chapter or two a night (and skipped some nights), so it took a while to get through. This little vampiric story is older than Dracula, and more sexual/erotic in its content (in this way, it has more in common with likely earlier drafts of Stoker's novel, which may exist in various foreign versions of Dracula). Overall, I liked this a lot. It's moody and shocking for its day, and I'm certain any mother or father who read this would have been appalled by it, which is a good mark of horror fiction. The vampire is a predator, obviously, and usually the vampire is coded as a sexual predator (or lover, in certain instances, if not abuser), but the vampire is almost always male. Count Dracula is fearsome because he plays into some Victorian notion of women and young girls falling prey to lecherous but suave men; but here, the main character, a young girl, falls prey to a female vampire, thus turning the whole trope on its head in an unexpected way. As a horror novel making use of mythological motifs in a specific cultural context, Carmilla asks if anyone is safe, since anyone can be a predator; furthermore, is the book about a father's attempt to suppress his daughter's developing homosexuality?
So the book is certainly interesting in those ways. Where I think it fails is in a few plot points that do not make any sense at all. The book leaves some things open-ended, but not in a mysterious way, only a frustrating way. For instance, who was Carmilla's mother? Another pet peeve of mine is the introduction of heroic characters in the last act, who sweep in to solve the narrative problems. Very, very annoying.
This was for my PopSugar reading challenge, and fulfills the “A book at least 100 years older than you” requirement - in fact this is almost exactly 100 years older than me, and I finished it on my birthday. Appropriate!
This was a lot of fun. Anyone with a passing knowledge of vampire fiction will see exactly what's going on in short order, and it might be tempting to complain that this uses a lot of tired tropes. But of course, this was preceded by only a few examples of vampire literature, and was a key point in the development from vampire folklore to modern vampire fiction. So it's not derivative, it's seminal! OK, the anagrammed names were silly - I'm glad that “rule” of vampires didn't catch on.
Surprisingly readable for something written in 1872, it was quick to get through, and didn't overstay its welcome. I definitely recommend this for anyone with an interest in the genre.
This is one of my favorite tales from this collection, I loved it extremely! It was very well-written and easy-reading and I loved every second of it. There are some aspects I want to remark on, but I will put that in the full review later on. <3
Listened to the full cast dramatization from Audible. Loved it, except that the music was overdone.
Expected it to be more romantic.
You can tell it was written by a man. The writing was romantic and subtly frightening
I don't read a lot of old books/classics; I usually find the writing style too laborious. I had no problem with this one at all however, it was very readable.
I would have given it 2.5 stars if that were an option.
Surprisingly engaging listen for the most part, though the story is probably quite transparent from the getgo. Also surprisingly gay on Carmilla's part, though you shouldn't be expecting any sort of romance; the narrator is absolutely naïve and pure (which of course, means she can't reciprocate–she's only ever confused by Carmilla's affection/devotion.).
I know tons of people are very into the queer horror category (it's pretty interesting); definitely give it a read/listen if that's your thing.
This is a pretty short book.
Although it was written over 20 years before Dracula, it has a similar style.
It emphasizes the romance aspect of vampires more than the horror.
There is a general problem I have with books from this time period in that the culture is so different from mine that it could be another planet.
To start the book, the narrator and her father see a passing carriage have an accident.
In a few minutes, a women leaves her daughter with the narrator for 3 months.
No contact information is exchanged, we don't even get the name of the mother.
This is not portrayed as being unusual, just the sort of thing you did then.
It's gay, it's slightly spooky, it's a very quick little read, I enjoyed it!
Also there's an audioplay on audible that has David Tennant in it??? Neat!
This was a nice little vampire book. The language of the time this was written read in modern day kinda adds to the mysticism of the vampire. Makes me want to read fantasy for some reason….
Very nice. Beautiful old language, and the author has a way about telling this story that sensibly has inspired a lot of vampire stories. Excellent book and worth the read, of course. I know this classic is well loved and I am glad to have experienced this story.
This felt like a gothic lesbian Jane Austen book which really worked for me. Of course, I say this as someone with a limited catalogue of 1800s novels–they are many decades apart and not that similar to some.
Need a quality film adaptation of this ASAP
Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph 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), its narrator is a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla.
really does not have either the epistemological or moral complexity of the other giants in gothic literature but this book is susceptible to an interpretation so disconcertingly anachronistically feminist that it seems almost more relevant to 1970s social politics than 1870s. Like I would not have been all that startled if Carmilla pulled out a Pussy Power enamel pin but maybe that is why Le Fanu is the author and I am writing a goodreads review
135 Pages, Classic vampire story before Dracula was even written (1872)! David N.
