Carmilla [Hardcover]

J. Sheridan LeFanu (Author), J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

Carmilla is the book that set the text for Dracula, that threw the light on our morbid fascination with the vampire legend. This is Carmilla, J. Sheridan LeFanu's classic novel of blood, terror -- and a love that dare not speak its name.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598182838
• ISBN-13: 978-1598182835
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,308,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEFORE DRACULA THERE WAS CARMILLA, February 5, 2004

By 

K. Jump (Corbin, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carmilla (Paperback)

J. Sheridan LeFanu's "Carmilla" stands as one of the richest, most literate and most enduring stories in the history of the vampire sub-genre. Many rate it higher than Bram Stoker's "Dracula," and while that estimation is at least debatable, there is no debate that "Carmilla" has exerted a mighty influence, consciously or not, on most vampire fiction to follow in its wake, "Dracula" not excepted. Indeed, Stoker's original early chapter in his masterpiece, later published independently as "Dracula's Guest," is particularly indebted to LeFanu's earlier work. As to which is better, let each reader decide for himself--and so enjoy them both!

The story is deceptively simple. A young girl, shaken up in a carriage accident, is left by her traveling mother in the care of the narrator's father. Laura, the young woman in whose voice we are told the tale, becomes fast friends with her new acquaintance, a friendship that is put to a powerful test when a strange malady begins infesting the idyllic Styrian countryside with nightmares, fever, and death.

LeFanu's style is unhurried, intelligent, and subtle, and the result is an eminently readable tale of mystery and the macabre that holds up remarkably well to repeated perusals. Though not as famous as "Dracula," and certainly written on a much smaller scale than Stoker's epic vampire opus, "Carmilla" is the more sustained and concentrated of the two. Many have traditionally argued that the novella, or short novel, is the ideal vehicle for a horror story, allowing for plenty of characterization and plot development without pushing the story itself beyond its dramtic limits. This reviewer tends to agree, and asserts that whereas "Dracula," masterwork that it is, often flags and succumbs to the doldrums, "Carmilla" never wavers and holds interest to the bittersweet end.

Originally published in 1871, "Carmilla" was quite sensational in its day, but I know many will not judge it to have aged well. A far cry from many modern vampire tales, "Carmilla" is probably not for everyone, or even every vampire fan. The deliberate pace, old-world feel, delicate characterization, subtlety, and relative brevity of the story may be turn-offs to those who expect page after page of gory action and explicit sex from their horror. Be that as it may, discerning readers will find few indulgences better than LeFanu's "Carmilla," a gothic triumph which will endure as long as vampire tales are read.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Le Fanu Surprise!, May 23, 2009

By 

Ingrid G. "Nimbette2" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Carmilla (Kindle Edition)

I read this short story in one sitting and could not put it down. Another hidden freebie I discovered by chance. Not gory like other vampire books, but simply leads us into life of a female vampire and her passion for the next victim. The love/obsession she has for her victim is delicately potrayed, but surely was controversial at the time this was written. Vampire lovers must read this, as it served as the inspiration of many other vampire works - such as the famous Dracula. This my second novel of this author in 24 hours - 100% free and good. I am impressed and will continue reading his other material. (review written from my Kindle2)

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic vampire literature at its best, January 10, 2010

By 

Luxx Mishley "Luxx" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Carmilla (Kindle Edition)

I first came across J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novella as part of a graduate independent study of gothic literature. It quickly became a personal favorite, as well as an integral part of what will (hopefully) one day become my dissertation.

Carmilla tells the tale of a vampire (or oupire, as the peasants refer to them in the novella) who preys on young women; Carmilla becomes intimately attached to the daughter or ward of a wealthy family, and in her pursuit of love and friendship (and perhaps other things...) eventually drains her new found "friend" of her blood and her life. Predating Bram Stoker's classic tale by 25 years, and following the publication of Polidori's short story by 53 years, Le Fanu's tale is one of the first to popularize the figure of the vampire in 19th-century English prose, and has done much to help popularize the subject.

What I find particularly interesting about this work is the hybridization of traditional vampire legends (dating back to stories of Lilith herself) and the evolving contemporary vampire mythology of 19th-century England. Like traditional tales, Carmilla is represented as a young woman, and her victims often describe a sense of being strangled in their beds. However, the tale also presents elements of more contemporary ideas, such as a coffin full of blood and long needle-like fangs.

I won't go more in-depth for fear of turning a review into a chapter, but I can't praise Carmilla enough. It is a tale sure to delight anyone with interests in 19th-century prose, gothic literature, or vampires (or any combination thereof). LeFanu is a master of gothic tales, and Carmilla is a credit to his name and his craft.