Carmilla
Ratings346
Average rating3.8
Expected it to be more romantic.
You can tell it was written by a man. The writing was romantic and subtly frightening
Lovely little read. I thought it was a little sapphic, but it's a lot sapphic. Would recommend.
This is one of my favorite tales from this collection, I loved it extremely! It was very well-written and easy-reading and I loved every second of it. There are some aspects I want to remark on, but I will put that in the full review later on. <3
Solid book about lesbians and vampires. I liked it.
Could have done with a bigger climax, but it was a quick and easy read and I felt like the story knew what it wanted to do. Enjoyed it .
It's gay, it's slightly spooky, it's a very quick little read, I enjoyed it!
Also there's an audioplay on audible that has David Tennant in it??? Neat!
A short little story, but I only read a chapter or two a night (and skipped some nights), so it took a while to get through. This little vampiric story is older than Dracula, and more sexual/erotic in its content (in this way, it has more in common with likely earlier drafts of Stoker's novel, which may exist in various foreign versions of Dracula). Overall, I liked this a lot. It's moody and shocking for its day, and I'm certain any mother or father who read this would have been appalled by it, which is a good mark of horror fiction. The vampire is a predator, obviously, and usually the vampire is coded as a sexual predator (or lover, in certain instances, if not abuser), but the vampire is almost always male. Count Dracula is fearsome because he plays into some Victorian notion of women and young girls falling prey to lecherous but suave men; but here, the main character, a young girl, falls prey to a female vampire, thus turning the whole trope on its head in an unexpected way. As a horror novel making use of mythological motifs in a specific cultural context, Carmilla asks if anyone is safe, since anyone can be a predator; furthermore, is the book about a father's attempt to suppress his daughter's developing homosexuality?
So the book is certainly interesting in those ways. Where I think it fails is in a few plot points that do not make any sense at all. The book leaves some things open-ended, but not in a mysterious way, only a frustrating way. For instance, who was Carmilla's mother? Another pet peeve of mine is the introduction of heroic characters in the last act, who sweep in to solve the narrative problems. Very, very annoying.
Very nice. Beautiful old language, and the author has a way about telling this story that sensibly has inspired a lot of vampire stories. Excellent book and worth the read, of course. I know this classic is well loved and I am glad to have experienced this story.
This felt like a gothic lesbian Jane Austen book which really worked for me. Of course, I say this as someone with a limited catalogue of 1800s novels–they are many decades apart and not that similar to some.
Need a quality film adaptation of this ASAP
(3,5 ★) los últimos capítulos son literalmente: oh no vampirismo malo, malo, muy malo vampirismo (lesbianismo) súper mal nah ah LOL
brb gonna rewrite this into a short film or something where Laura keeps being the main character in the last chapters lmao
The ending was a bit frustrating, which is really what's dragging the rating. Otherwise, the prose was beautiful and the atmosphere was <33
Great fast read. The audible version with David Tennant was fantastic! Definitely a must-read for any vampire fan especially queer ones!
Surprisingly engaging listen for the most part, though the story is probably quite transparent from the getgo. Also surprisingly gay on Carmilla's part, though you shouldn't be expecting any sort of romance; the narrator is absolutely naïve and pure (which of course, means she can't reciprocate–she's only ever confused by Carmilla's affection/devotion.).
I know tons of people are very into the queer horror category (it's pretty interesting); definitely give it a read/listen if that's your thing.
Aparentemente, este livro é aquele que inspirou a existência de Drácula e um dos livros de vampiros mais antigos de sempre. Pergunto-me porque é que não é tão famoso quanto o Drácula. Talvez porque se trata da primeira vampira lésbica da história da literatura?
É um relato que tem muito mais do que aquilo que os olhos mostram. É uma história que é contada entre as linhas, até ao clímax no final da história, quando todas as peças encaixam e tudo passa a fazer sentido. Eu consegui prever algumas coisas, e sem dúvida percebi a verdade sobre Carmilla mais cedo do que o autor gostaria. Mas trata-se de um romance gótico, vitoriano, de quando era preciso bastante menos para surpreender os leitores.
Sendo da época que é, eu esperava uma escrita bastante mais intimidante. Acabou de se revelar bastante tranquilo de ler; uma escrita elegante, mas simples, acessível a todos os que gostariam de ler mais clássicos, mas têm medo da escrita barroca a que normalmente os associamos.
Jordan Hall said it best: “this ethereal, infuriating book”
Reader's log: • Came for Carmilla Karnstein, stayed for the mystical moon child Mademoiselle De Lafontaine • Steamiest passage: “A small income in that part of the world goes a great way; eight or nine hundred a year does wonders.” [Half] kidding. It's probably: “Sometimes there came a sensation as if a hand was drawn softly along my cheek and neck. Sometimes it was as if warm lips kissed me, longer and longer and more lovingly as they reached my throat...” • Langor¹⁷ • Everything I could want in a good Gothic — dark, damp, and dusty castles, dramatic carriage wrecks, creepy portraits, unexplainable maladies, strange dreams, mysterious strangers, a story within a story...
Now, how many stars should I knock off for the author promulgating the whole ‘queer women as monsters' trope?
Thank goodness for Lanternfish's edition, which is Le Fanu's Carmilla, kintsugi'd. Carmen Maria Machado's edits and commentary make this 1872 Gothic much more accessible. And the modern reframing of the narrative adds nuance while turning the monstrous lesbian trope back onto its makers, whose “own accounts become highly suspect.” “I wished this edition to bear LaFanu's shame,” Machado writes. “I wish the reader to come to the book with a complete understanding of its inadequacy.”
Now that's the punk rock Mary Shelley energy I'm here for.
And how about those illustrations by tattoo artist Robert Kraiza?