A review by steveatwaywords
Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
How has it taken me so long to read this book?
In so many ways superior to later books on the supernatural, Le Fanu offers first a cadre of strong females, set almost singularly to make decisions and reason for themselves, especially against the relatively single-minded and flat/impotent males. That the story is also homoerotic underscores how the later mythologies of vampirism will develop, but unfortunately more strongly under a chauvinist pen.
The powerful seductive power of Carmilla is disconcerting mostly for its miscues and almost naive desires, and for that all the more believable. That the evil has devised several scenarios for preying on mortals is fascinating. But our narrator-protagonist, too, shares in a dualistic attraction/repulsion to what she encounters; her ambivalence which results in a kind of paralysis is far more credible than anything like "magic hypnotic eyes" and the like.
All in all, Le Fanu's work is one of my favorite of the genre now, ranking up with King's Salem's Lot but with the authenticity of its Victorian age.
In so many ways superior to later books on the supernatural, Le Fanu offers first a cadre of strong females, set almost singularly to make decisions and reason for themselves, especially against the relatively single-minded and flat/impotent males. That the story is also homoerotic underscores how the later mythologies of vampirism will develop, but unfortunately more strongly under a chauvinist pen.
The powerful seductive power of Carmilla is disconcerting mostly for its miscues and almost naive desires, and for that all the more believable. That the evil has devised several scenarios for preying on mortals is fascinating. But our narrator-protagonist, too, shares in a dualistic attraction/repulsion to what she encounters; her ambivalence which results in a kind of paralysis is far more credible than anything like "magic hypnotic eyes" and the like.
All in all, Le Fanu's work is one of my favorite of the genre now, ranking up with King's Salem's Lot but with the authenticity of its Victorian age.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content