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Line 1: {{work}} {{Infobox book [[File:Carmilla_w250_5871.jpg\|frame]]▼ \| title = Carmilla \| original title = ▲~~[[File:~~ \| image = Carmilla_w250_5871.jpg~~\|frame]]~~ \| caption = \| author = Sheridan le Fanu \| central theme = the inherent sensuality and homosexuality of vampirism \| elevator pitch = An English young lady in Austria befriends an enigmatic and beautiful woman, who seems to bring an ominous illness and death with her... \| genre = [[Gothic Horror]] \| publication date = 1872 \| source page exists = yes \| wiki URL = \| wiki name = }} {{quote\|''"Love will have its sacrifices. No sacrifice without blood."''\|'''Carmilla''', chapter VI}} Written and published in 1872 by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, this novella mixes authentic Middle- and Eastern European folklore and [[Gothic Literature]]. It formed the last story of five in the collection ''In a Glass Darkly'', but it has since often been published separately. Its heroine and narrator is Laura, an English girl ~~that~~who lives with her father and few servants atin a secluded Austrian ''schloss''<ref>Doubtless you know that a ''schloss'' is a castle or ''château''.</ref>. Laura is suffering deeply from loneliness, when a strange incident leads to a mysterious girl to stay as a guest at the ''schloss'' – the beautiful Carmilla. In Carmilla, Laura finally finds the friend she was looking for, but she is puzzled by ~~Carmilla’s~~Carmilla's odd habits and her unwillingness to reveal her true identity. An unknown disease that only kills young women strikes the countryside. Eventually, Laura herself falls ill of the ominous sickness -- when by chance, a friend of the family shows up with a tale of news that leads to a horrible revelation. ''Carmilla'' is a milestone in the [[Vampire]] genre: It includes a [[Haunted Castle]], the [[~~Uberwald~~Überwald]] (officially Styria), and tells you that [[Your Vampires Suck]] -- the latter when Laura compares Carmilla to "fictitious" vampires. Subtly, the striking beauty of the eponymous character suggests that [[Vampires Are Sex Gods]]. Yes, all these tropes are [[Older Than Radio]]. Most notably though, the novella is the [[Trope Maker]] for the [[Lesbian Vampire]]. The trick here is that ~~Carmilla’s~~Carmilla's unmentionable secret echoes the taboo status of homosexuality in Victorian society, and Carmilla’s [[Horror Hunger\|unholy appetite]] also evokes a different kind of forbidden desire. And while the story never ever talks about sex, the subtext is so obvious that Carmilla (or rather, the author through the mouth of Carmilla) can discuss homosexuality without actually naming it ([[Carmilla/Quotes\|have a look at the quotes page with this in mind]]). The story has long been in the public domain, so feel free to check out the [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10007 text] or [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/28917 audiobook.] ---- {{tropelist}} ~~=== ''Carmilla'' contains examples of: ===~~ * [[Adult Fear]]: Even today, the idea that a predatory monster is threatening to kill your child without your knowledge and watching them slowly waste away in the process is realistically frightening. * [[Ambiguously Gay]]: Literally – it is never resolved whether Carmilla’s passion is love … or [[Horror Hunger\|hunger]]. Laura, although she feels embarrassed and even disturbed by Carmilla's passionate affection (or so she says), is nevertheless positively entranced by Carmilla and repeatedly remarks "how beautiful" Carmilla is; she also likes to play with Carmilla's hair. Line 39 ⟶ 52: * [[Significant Anagram]]: Carmilla apparently creates new aliases for herself by anagramming her original name {{spoiler\|Mircalla}}; a previous victim knew her as "Millarca." * [[Stalker with a Crush]]: Carmilla to Laura. * [[~~Uberwald~~Überwald]]: Styria. * [[Vampires Are Sex Gods]]: Although there is no actual sex in the story, everyone is smitten by Carmilla's beauty and charm (well, until [[The Reveal]]). {{spoiler\|Also, her "mum" is definitely a looker.}} * [[Vampire Hunter]]: Baron Vordenburg (likely the [[Trope Maker]]). Line 49 ⟶ 62: {{reflist}} [[Category:Vampire Fiction]] [[Category:~~Nineteenth~~Literature ~~Century~~of ~~Literature~~the 19th century]] [[Category:Gay and Lesbian Fiction]] [[Category:Horror Literature]] [[Category:Carmilla]]▼ [[Category:Literature]] [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] ▲[[Category:~~Carmilla~~Novella]] [[Category:Gothic Horror Tropes]]