Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu and one of the early works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 26 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871–72), the story is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein (Carmilla is an anagram of Mircalla). The character is a prototypical example of the lesbian vampire, expressing romantic desires toward the protagonist. The novella notably never acknowledges homosexuality as an antagonistic trait, leaving it subtle and morally ambiguous. The story is often anthologised, and has been adapted many times in film and other media.
¿Pero por qué he tardado tanto tiempo en leerme esto?
5 stars
Me ha gustado muchísimo, muchísimo y muchísimo. Pero mucho de mucho. Un montón.
Aunque el libro es cortico y con pequeños detalles te enseña todo su mundo y te enganchas desde el minuto uno.
No hay algo muy loco o agresivo, creo que está contado muy bien y sin detenerse demasiado en algo desagradable. he sentido que deja poner de tu parte y rellenar "los huecos".
Me ha gustado mucho el vampiro que presenta, un poco lejos de la imagen más normalizada y como te lo va mostrando a lo largo de la historia, sin prisa.
El final, en mi corazón, ha ido por otro lado, eso también lo digo.
Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 novel, Carmilla, predates Bram Stoker's more famous Dracula by about twenty six years and, after having read Pushkin Press' newly published edition, I'm surprised this story isn't much better known. Admittedly it is written in a typically Victorian gothic style so lots of telling description, and a slow pace, but Le Fanu builds up a suitably chilling atmosphere and I particularly appreciated that three of the central characters are female. There might even be hints of an obsessive love affair between two of them.
I wondered whether contemporary readers of the original publication were as aware of the vampiric storyline or if its denouement in a late scene came as a shock to them. Reading Carmilla now, I could see the tropes neatly lining up as the story progressed - although Le Fanu's creatures have distinct differences to accepted present-day vampire lore - so wasn't surprised …
Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 novel, Carmilla, predates Bram Stoker's more famous Dracula by about twenty six years and, after having read Pushkin Press' newly published edition, I'm surprised this story isn't much better known. Admittedly it is written in a typically Victorian gothic style so lots of telling description, and a slow pace, but Le Fanu builds up a suitably chilling atmosphere and I particularly appreciated that three of the central characters are female. There might even be hints of an obsessive love affair between two of them.
I wondered whether contemporary readers of the original publication were as aware of the vampiric storyline or if its denouement in a late scene came as a shock to them. Reading Carmilla now, I could see the tropes neatly lining up as the story progressed - although Le Fanu's creatures have distinct differences to accepted present-day vampire lore - so wasn't surprised to be shown the truth. What I did like was seeing Laura's dawning realisation as she hears the exact story of her own experiences being told in relation to someone else - someone now deceased!
I would recommend Carmilla to readers of classic novels, certainly, but also to vampire story fans who are curious as to how the genre has changed and matured over the past 150 years. Carmilla is quite a short novel which I comfortably read in an afternoon. It doesn't have the action, the gore or the sass of its present-day successors, but it does have an appealing charm which drew me in and kept me interested.
Il racconto di Carmilla è stato scritto e pubblicato 25 anni prima di Dracula (curioso come si parli sempre d'Irlanda, tra Le Fanu e Stoker) e, in appena un centinaio di pagine, condensa e codifica tutto ciò che c'è da sapere sulle storie di vampiri.
Molto interessante il discorso saffico e il punto di vista femminile contrapposto, ma anche speculare, di Laura e Carmilla (discorso decisamente moderno per il 1872) e in generale la capacità di Le Fanu di restituire un perfetto concentrato del racconto gotico.
The idea of listening to a story from the 1800s did not initially intrigue me, but then I saw David Tennant listed among the cast and figured I could give it a try while processing new books at work (I'm a librarian by day). This audio dramatization is brilliant. Much more enjoyable than sitting down to read the original text would have been, I'm sure (although I am curious about potential deviations from the source material).
The story itself is pretty much what I expected, just a little spicier. Overall, a great way to fill the silence for two hours at work.
First time I've listened to the audiobook having read this novella as an angsty queer teen. It's a free halloween download right now from that big audiobook/podcast site. Really nicely produced- Tennant bringing the funny, Leslie pitch-perfect as the highly-strung protagonist & Fox is well devious. All the sighs, panting & moaning you need from an 1870s gothic lesbian vampire audiobook, & also it's quite short. End.
Vampires in the heart of Styria! Published more than a quarter of a century before Dracula and having influenced Stoker (the "missing" first chapter of Dracula, now published as Dracula's Guest, was also set in Styria, Austria), this novella sets it's female villain in the guise of a noble born Austrian girl only some years older than Anne Rice's infamous Claudia who appeared in print more than a century after our not so dearly departed Carmilla. This novella is certainly an entertaining read and establishes much of the lore of vampirism that Stoker and subsequent authors use. It also sets the heart of vampirism further west than the popular Transylvania in, what was at the time of Stoker, Hungary. In Carmilla vampirism finds the heart of its domain in Styria, Austria near the Hungarian border and from there spreads into the Balkans and Eastern Europe as well as north into …
Vampires in the heart of Styria! Published more than a quarter of a century before Dracula and having influenced Stoker (the "missing" first chapter of Dracula, now published as Dracula's Guest, was also set in Styria, Austria), this novella sets it's female villain in the guise of a noble born Austrian girl only some years older than Anne Rice's infamous Claudia who appeared in print more than a century after our not so dearly departed Carmilla. This novella is certainly an entertaining read and establishes much of the lore of vampirism that Stoker and subsequent authors use. It also sets the heart of vampirism further west than the popular Transylvania in, what was at the time of Stoker, Hungary. In Carmilla vampirism finds the heart of its domain in Styria, Austria near the Hungarian border and from there spreads into the Balkans and Eastern Europe as well as north into regions of what are today Germany, The Czech Republic and Poland.
Review of 'Carmilla (Biblioteca De Fantasia Y Terror / Fantasy and Horror Library)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Vampires in the heart if Styria! A great novella recounting vampirism in the heart of Styria more than 25 years before Stoker's Dracula and more than a century before Anne Rice brought the adorable and deadly Claudia to unlife.
