Carmilla: Difference between revisions

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{{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.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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.]

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* [[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.

* [[Cats Are Mean]]: Carmilla can [[Voluntary Shapeshifter|assume the shape]] of a monstrous cat.

* [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: For the curious: Le Fanu's vampire facts. <ref> Can walk around in daylight, but are "languid" and quickly exhausted physically (not mentally), and appear to be much more powerful during the night. They are able to shapeshift, pass through closed doors, and move too quick for the human eye to follow. They possibly can even turn invisible or dematerialize. The grip of their hands is unnaturally strong and can cause human limbs to grow stiff. Moonlight especially enhances their powers. They have to return to their grave at least for some hours every day and are unable to relocate their own gravesite on their own account, making their activities somewhat territorially restricted. Other than some special long, thin, pointy teeth that are hard to notice, they appear indistinguishable from living human beings, and have a faint pulse and respiration even in their dormant state. Suck blood only from sleeping victims. May kill a victim in a single night, but usually return to the same person for a few days till (rarely) up to several weeks. If not hindered, they always continue their visits until the victim dies, causing the victim to turn a vampire by default. Vampires are not peculiarly pale - on the contrary Carmilla is admired for her beautiful, brilliant, rosy complexion ... especially when she has fed on blood the previous night.</ref>

* [[Psycho Lesbian]]: If you subscribe to the interpretation that Carmilla actually ''is'' a lesbian, this is played straight in that Carmilla turns out to be a murderous, predatory undead monster, which could rise [[Unfortunate Implications]], which would actually be considered [[Values Dissonance|Wholesome Implications in the 19th century]]. [[Fridge Logic]], however, may make you realize that ''every'' vampire is a predatory monster <ref>Not counting [[Friendly Neighborhood Vampire|Friendly Neighborhood Vampires]], which were not invented at the time.</ref>, so lesbianism is actually not a crucial point to Carmilla's evilness. Whether LeFanu [[Scare'Em Straight|demonized lesbianism]] or slyly [[Fetish Fuel|challenged the preconceptions of his time]] - it is still up to debate.

* [[Significant Anagram]]: Carmilla apparently creates new aliases for herself by anagramming her original name {{spoiler|Mircalla}}; a previous victim knew her as "Millarca."

* [[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]]).

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Vampire Fiction]]

[[Category:Gay and Lesbian Fiction]]

[[Category:Horror Literature]]

[[Category:Literature]]