Carmilla - The Discussion

[farmwifetwo]

Picked it up yesterday at the library. Have a book to finish and then I'll start it.

A lot smaller than I thought it would be.

[vicki]

I listened to it on librivox, and the volunteer reader did a pretty good job. There were a few over-the-top lines I'd have been inclined to giggle through. I thought it was interesting to see this very early entry in the vampire genre, and was also surprised, given the era, at how steamy it was, with Carmilla making fairly straightforward advances on Laura, and even a lot of physical contact, which Laura seems to shrug off cluelessly, but does little to prevent. It was interesting to see the proto-archetypes emerge--Carmilla, the seductive, parasitic vampire, Laura, the lovely and clueless vamp-bait, Baron Vordenburgh, the Van Helsing forerunner, Carmilla's "mother," presumably a facilitating flunky/procurer for the vampire.

[annie]

I think it is worth noting that Sheridan Lefanu was Irish. Although Ireland was of course, part of Britain at the time ( and the family were Protestant) culturally it was different, and you can see how he was influenced by Irish folklore.
I love reading early examples of genres of fiction, as Vicki has pointed out, the blueprint was laid down (and I think that over-the-top is part of the whole experience!)

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by annie

I think it is worth noting that Sheridan Lefanu was Irish. Although Ireland was of course, part of Britain at the time ( and the family were Protestant) culturally it was different, and you can see how he was influenced by Irish folklore.
I love reading early examples of genres of fiction, as Vicki has pointed out, the blueprint was laid down (and I think that over-the-top is part of the whole experience!)

I was a bit surprised to find that fantasy literature has its roots in children's stories. I don't know why that surprises me...I wonder if Lefanu understood his influences were partly Irish folklore. Did Irish protestants identify with being Irish or English? I always had the feeling that they saw themselves as English colonists or something.
Jennifer

[annie]

At the time, the middle / professional classes would mostly have seen themselves as British.
I think that a lot of novelists pick up bits of stories & folklore wherever they are. Although I think you can see the Irish influences in some of his other work, I really don't know where he picked up the vampire stuff. I assume he read Polidori's Vampyre - Miss Vane of course, could tell us!

[annie]

I often "wiki" stuff I read about on here, and went to check my recollections of Polidori.
I was delighted to find an obscure connection with another book we have read: his sister married Gabriele Rossetti, who was the model for Count Pesca. Some of you remember him as the minor but important character who "bookends" The Woman in White.

[Lenore]

I just finished it on Librivox and agree that it's a good reading. One can certainly see where Bram Stoker got many of his ideas. And considering that this was written in Victorian times, it WAS steamy.

As this is an "Author as Reader" pick, is LRK planning to comment?