My Dover edition of Best Ghost Stories of Sheridan LeFanu was compiled and published in 1964. The title's a little misleading; at least one of the stories has nothing to do with ghosts.
"Carmilla" was apparently a key influence on Bram Stoker, and almost every introduction to a LeFanu book I've read crows about how superior it is to Dracula. (Which it is, for one simple reason: it's waaaaay shorter.) Being thoroughly uninterested in vampires, I've always skipped it; but being fond of LeFanu -- and it being way too hot and muggy out to concentrate on anything really interesting -- I decided last night to give it a try.
I'm now not surprised that it has such a lofty reputation: as a horror story it's feeble at best, but as thinly-disguised schoolgirl lesbo-porn, it's superb. Our titular vampiress is a beautiful young woman who only eats (ho ho) other women, by preference other lovely young women, whom she "fascinates" and showers with affection during the day:
The damn thing oughtta come with a packet of kleenex.
"Carmilla" was apparently a key influence on Bram Stoker, and almost every introduction to a LeFanu book I've read crows about how superior it is to Dracula. (Which it is, for one simple reason: it's waaaaay shorter.) Being thoroughly uninterested in vampires, I've always skipped it; but being fond of LeFanu -- and it being way too hot and muggy out to concentrate on anything really interesting -- I decided last night to give it a try.
I'm now not surprised that it has such a lofty reputation: as a horror story it's feeble at best, but as thinly-disguised schoolgirl lesbo-porn, it's superb. Our titular vampiress is a beautiful young woman who only eats (ho ho) other women, by preference other lovely young women, whom she "fascinates" and showers with affection during the day:
My strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her breast rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration.... and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips travelled along my cheek in kisses.... she drew her arm closer around my waist, and let her pretty head sink about my shoulder...The Dover edition's illustrations very accurately capture the story's raison d'etre: surreptitious titillation. Completely uncredited and unsourced, they're designed to look old-fashioned: sort of faux-Victorian woodcuts. The climactic (ho ho) illustration for "Carmilla" shows our lesbo-vampire leaning over one of her beautiful, um, victims, whose nightie is flung open to reveal implausibly firm, cantalope-like breasts. And sure enough, almost obscured by the shadows but definitely there if you look closely, nipple.
The damn thing oughtta come with a packet of kleenex.
