(Sheridan, 2013)Carmilla is one of the first stories, if not the first, concerning vampirism. Written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, an Irish writer who is often compared to Edgar Allen Poe, this novella was originally published in 1872, thus predating in fact a full twenty-five years before Bram Stoker’s famous tale ’Dracula’, which is heavily influenced by Carmilla. It tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla and the story is thick with
come out at night? By disguising themselves with the use of costumes and performance, vampires such as Lestat and Carmilla are able to infiltrate human society and prey from within. Whenever it is to fit in or to help them prey by dressing up, acting a certain way or living in a proper house, vampires are able to survive. But sometimes they don't need to act. Both Claudia and Carmilla simply use their venerable appearance to get close to their victims. If there's one thing that vampires across
Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu’s texts, Dracula (1898) and “Carmilla” (1872), use gothic tropes in similar ways to captivate readers with horror and terror. This essay will illustrate how, in comparison, both texts include gothic tropes: the New Woman, sexuality and setting, in order to provoke emotions and reactions from the readers. To achieve this, this essay will focus on the women that challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and deconstruct each text in regards to the very strong
The Lilith in Dracula, Carmilla, Christabel, Geraldine and The Hunger For centuries Lilith, the Queen of the Night, has been blamed when a child or man dies without certain cause or when a woman refuses to be submissive to her husband. While the Legend of Lilith is not widely known today, it is not difficult to find information about the demoness. However, there are slight variations found from story to story. Here we will focus on the myth as found in Hebrew mythology, and we will particularly
Carmilla Reading Response Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a tale about two young women from different walks of life. One of the two young ladies named Laura, plays the role of the narrator and the victim. She begins her story by describing her life and why she was so easily influenced by the antagonist, Carmilla. Laura lives with her father an English widower, retired from the Austrian Service. Laura also makes mention of the other residents in her home, her gouvernantes, who took care of
Victorian gothic story, “Carmilla,” not only challenges typical Victorian gothic, but also breaks the barrier in a society where lesbianism is considered a taboo. Through “Carmilla,” Le Fanu breaks the barrier in society for lesbianism in the 19th century by challenging three important things: traditional vampire traits, role of women, and religion.
writers or generic conventions, but vary aspects of it in significant ways.” (Clayton, 155). Sheridan Le Fanu’s, Carmilla, Bram Stoker’s, Dracula and Elizabeth Kostova’s, The Historian, clearly engage in this intertextual exchange, as evidenced by their use of narrative structure, striking character parallels and authors choice of language. Published in 1872, Le Fanu relates the story of Carmilla from a first person point of view, through four distinct perspectives. The first narrator, an unnamed assistant
Victorian Sexuality in Stoker’s Dracula, LeFanu’s Carmilla, and Polidori’s Vampyre Literature is representative of the time in which it is produced. Literature can reflect societal views, attitudes, and fears.Vampire literature, in particular, often represents the fears of a society.In the Victorian Era, a time of intense sexual repression, it was common for vampire stories to reflect the fear of sexuality that was rampant in society. Bram Stoker’s Dracula illustrated fears about sexual women
countryside, they become clearer when they are transferred to an Irish setting. During Le Fanu’s last years, his mind become almost completely occupied by the supernatural and all the short stories he wrote at this time were of that nature e.g. ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Green Tea’. His peculiar habits of life contributed to this obsession and there can be little doubt but that many of these weird tales came to him in the form of dreams. Brinsley Le Fanu, his son, gave S.M. Ellis an account of his daily routine:
which has long troubled humankind. Dracula also has considerable cultural importance. Stoker was not the first writer to make use of the vampire legend. Throughout the 19th century vampires appeared in a number of works, including Sheridan LeFanu's Carmilla (1872), which Stoker read as a young man. But it is Stoker's version of the vampire legend that has had the most enduring popular appeal and the greatest influence on modern writers and filmmakers. In his book Vampires Unearthed, Martin Riccardo