Carmilla and Dracula

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Recommended: Gothic literature and culture

Gothic Essay

o A querying of normative gender behaviour and sexuality pervades the 19th century gothic fiction text. What does this reveal about the cultural context within the tale exists?

This essay will attempt to discuss the two gothic tales ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Dracula’ in relation to cultural contexts in which they exist as being presented to the reader through the gender behaviour and sexuality that is portrayed through the texts. Vampire stories always seem to involve some aspect of sexuality and power.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu wrote Carmilla. It was first published in 1872 as part of the collection of short stories titles ‘In a Glass Darkly.’ Carmilla predates the publishing of Dracula by 25 years. Laura, who is also one of the main protagonists, narrates the story. She begins the tale by telling stories of her childhood and how she lived in a castle with her father on the outskirts of the forest. When Laura is just six years of age she claims to have a dream in which a visitor enters her sleeping chamber and bites her in the neck, but no wounds can be found on her. This is the background on which the whole story is set.

When a carriage crashes outside the castle, Laura becomes friends with the girl who was travelling inside it who is called Carmilla. There is an instant bond and attraction between the two females. Even though this text predates the modern day times of same sex relationships, and lesbianism by many years some readers may pick this relationship up to fall within this category. This may be surprising to many readers as this was a very secretive, taboo subject and was not talked about in public at all. It is never stated in the text that there was anything more to the friendship between Laura and Carmil...

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In conclusion to this essay, having examined these 19th century gothic texts, it is fair to say that normative gender behaviour and sexuality pervades them. This element gives the reader a deep insight into the culture context of the time in which these stories are situated. It enables the reader to delve into the darker sides of humanity at that time, that they would not have been able to do otherwise.

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Finn, Page 5

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klüsener, Bea. "Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and Bram Stoker’s vampire ladies as representations of Cesare Lombroso’s donna delinquente? ." Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.Germany (2010): Pg 1-12. Print.

Le Fanu, J. Sheridan. In a Glass Darkly. London: Bentley and Son, 1872. Print.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. New York: Oxford University Press, Print.

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