Vampires and Victorian Horrors: “Carmilla” Book Review
Eli Styles | November 8, 2023
Outside of a Gothic manor-house in 1864 Styria, Austria, a young lady with long, dark hair lies immobile on the ground after a carriage accident. Her frantic mother must make the split-second decision to leave her daughter with the inhabitants of the house in order to continue on her “urgent” journey.
Thus begins the story of “Carmilla,” the 1872 novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. This queer vampire classic is the predecessor — and, arguably, the inspiration — to “Dracula,” the more well-known of the two books.
The epistolary work follows our main character, Laura, as she navigates living with Carmilla and adjusts to her eccentricities. Laura develops a rapid fascination with Carmilla, partially due to the fact that she is certain she has seen Carmilla’s face before: twelve years ago in her nursery. Furthermore, Carmilla confirms during one of their first encounters that she had seen Laura’s face as well.
The two women immediately develop a close intimacy — they are constantly on each other’s minds. Laura is conflicted at times by her feelings for Carmilla as she is both charmed by the majority of her traits and disturbed by others, such as her mysterious moods.
As the book progresses, themes of fear of vampires and the sickness that they cause begin to emerge. A mountebank sells amulets to both Laura and Carmilla to ward against the vampire which is “hunting like a wolf” through the woods, and Laura’s father informs them of the deaths of multiple people who had been “attacked” and grew terribly ill.
From then on Laura grows increasingly uneasy. She fears this beast which she imagines prowling the forest and which comes to her in nightmares, mirroring the experience she had in her nursery as a child — a sensation of two needles piercing her breast. When she wakes she believes that she sees Carmilla standing at the foot of her bed, and her terror is too deep for her to describe.
Soon after this night, Laura comes down with a mysterious and advanced illness. She experiences changes and increasingly disturbing visions as her illness progresses, and the deep unease she feels regarding Carmilla fights with her loving feelings as the plot thickens.
In an effort not to spoil this excellent story, I will stop my summary there.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. Though the horror level is lower than horror fiends may crave, the suspense is built wonderfully and the eerie feeling sticks with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
An important thing to note when discussing this book is the particular version that I read. I read the 2019 edition edited by Carmen Maria Machado, an award-winning author of books such as “In the Dream House” and “Her Body and Other Parties.” This edition contains an enlightening introduction discussing obsession and supernatural phenomena, as well as footnotes deepening the reader’s understanding and immersion in the story.
Machado’s edition of “Carmilla” is an experience separate from other editions. She does not shy away from the reality of the text in that it is deeply, irrefutably queer.
The carnal obsession that Carmilla develops for Laura is, while predatory, boldly romantic. Both women describe each other as “beautiful” and “pretty” on nearly every other page, and upon their first meeting Carmilla says to Laura, “Good night, darling, it is very hard to part with you, but good night; tomorrow, but not early, I shall see you again.”
Beyond this, Carmilla expresses her desire for Laura by saying that if Laura’s “dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with [hers]. In the rapture of enormous humiliation I live in [her] warm life, and [she] shall die — die, sweetly die, into mine”, and “I have been in love with no one, and never shall unless it should be with [Laura].”
And yet, some still refute the idea that these women are sapphic.
I think that “Carmilla” is an enlightening read for many reasons, some of which being the profound nature of such a queer, female-focused novel being released in the nineteenth century, and also the question the story poses. What is the difference between love and obsession, and where should that line be drawn?
If you are queer, a vampire lover, a fan of classic literature or simply interested in a story about two phenomenal female characters, I would highly recommend “Carmilla” to you. After all, “curiosity is a restless and scrupulous passion, and no one girl can endure, with patience, that hers should be baffled by another.” Don’t let the curiosity get to you before Carmilla does.