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Carmilla

The story Carmilla' is set in Styria, now a part of Austria. Sheridan Le Fanu introduces us to Laura, our protagonist, a nineteen year old girl who inhabits a schloss but whose only company is her father and two governesses. Le Fanu describes in detail not only the beauty of the schloss and surrounding land, but also the isolation of the property. This setting is important in conveying to the reader the solitary nature of Laura's lifestyle. This solitude is important for the reader to understand if one is to believe, or find realistic, the fact that Laura could overlook so many things which others may have found immediately suspicious. Although Laura does describe her home as "a very lonely place" her feelings of loneliness are never openly discussed. Loneliness, however, is a prevalent subject in this story, and is ultimately the reason why Carmilla ends up staying with Laura and her father.

Le Fanu wrote Carmilla' with in-depth detail, to say the least. He thoroughly describes details of everything from scenery, to conversations, to physical appearance. This makes for a vivid mental picture, but also a noticeably long read. Carmilla' lacks the action and intensity that many may consider the standard or norm for modern vampire tales. This may come as disappointment to some, but should not come as a surprise considering how long ago it was written.
One could argue that Le Fanu meant this story to symbolize lesbian love and only disguised it as a vampire tale, since one does not have to look hard to notice the sexual undertones between Laura and Carmilla. Laura seems almost captivated by Carmilla's

beauty, commenting on it often, and Carmilla's constant spells of what appears to be infatuation leads one to suspect that lesbianism is afoot. About Carmilla Laura states: "I did feel drawn towards her, but there was also repulsion the sense of attraction immensely prevailed. She interested and won me, she was so beautiful and so indescribably engaging." Could this be Laura's closeted sexual desire? It is very likely that she was so sheltered that she had never heard of lesbians and the thought of two women being together sexually had never occurred to her before Carmilla's arrival. This may have led her to feel a sense of "repulsion" at her own desires. One is left to wonder as no clear answers are given, but when considering this a lesbian love story it makes for a much more interesting read.
Neither Laura nor Carmilla experience much growth as characters throughout this story. For the most part, Laura maintains her innocence, and Carmilla her mystery. Although we are given more in-depth details about Carmilla's life, we are never fully aware of her true feelings or intentions.
Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla' is a classic, and definitely an important read, but if one is reading it as a vampire tale my advice would be to get a comfortable seat and get ready for a long, virtually uneventful read. On the other hand, reading it purely as a symbolic story, one will be left with a deep appreciation of the brilliance of Le Fanu's story.

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