The First Lesbian Vampire

Welcome to Celebrate 343 - The First Lesbian Vampire

After looking at some of the alleged crimes of Elizabeth - and by this time, I am ready to call her actions a part of folklore - I’d like to delve in a definitely fictional female character who helped shaped the Gothic tradition in literature. The novella by Sheridan Le Fan was called Carmilla (1872) and the work builds upon many Gothic elements that were to become central to Poe’s works.

Both Carmilla and Poe's works, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," emphasize decaying and eerie settings that evoke dread. Carmilla features an old castle in Austria, shrouded in mystery and supernatural tension, much like Poe's use of ruined mansions and isolated landscapes to establish psychological terror.

Well, I might as get it out of the way first and address the elephant in the room ...

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Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate 345 - The First Lesbian Vampire

After looking at some of the alleged crimes of Elizabeth - and by this time, I am ready to call her actions a part of folklore - I’d like to delve in a definitely fictional female character who helped shaped the Gothic tradition in literature. The novella by Sheridan Le Fan was called Carmilla (1872) and the work builds upon many Gothic elements that were to become central to Poe’s works.

Both Carmilla and Poe's works, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher," emphasize decaying and eerie settings that evoke dread. Carmilla features an old castle in Austria, shrouded in mystery and supernatural tension, much like Poe's use of ruined mansions and isolated landscapes to establish psychological terror.

Well, I might as get it out of the way first and address the elephant in the room regarding Carmilla - its reputation as the first female lesbian vampire story.

You see, in Carmilla, the lesbian subtext is actually a central theme, expressed through the intimate and emotionally charged relationship between the protagonist, Laura, and the character, Carmilla. This Gothic novella, is often considered a foundational work for the "lesbian vampire" archetype in literature. Carmilla's interactions with Laura are marked by overt romantic and sensual undertones. For instance, Carmilla frequently expresses her love for Laura through physical gestures, such as holding her hand with "fond pressure," kissing her cheek, and whispering declarations like, “You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one forever.” These moments are described with an intensity that mirrors the ardor of a lover, blending affection with an unsettling possessiveness. Laura herself feels both drawn to and disturbed by Carmilla's advances, reflecting a mix of fascination and fear that underscores their complex dynamic.

The novella challenges Victorian norms by portraying female desire and intimacy in a way that was rather subversive for its time. While explicit lesbianism was not socially acceptable in the 19th century, Carmilla uses the vampire motif to explore themes of forbidden love and female empowerment. Carmilla’s relationship with Laura is not just romantic but also metaphorically vampiric—she feeds on Laura’s vitality while simultaneously offering her a sense of connection and passion absent from her otherwise isolated life.

Critics have debated whether Carmilla's feelings for Laura represent genuine love or manipulative lust. Regardless, their bond is undeniably charged with homoerotic tension. Carmilla even hints at making Laura her immortal companion, suggesting a desire for eternal union beyond mere physical attraction.

Ultimately, Carmilla stands out as a groundbreaking exploration of female sexuality and queer desire within a patriarchal society. It uses the vampire as a vehicle to critique societal constraints on women’s autonomy and emotional expression while presenting a narrative that resonates with modern interpretations of LGBTQ+ identity and empowerment.

Carmilla delves into themes of duality, attraction, and repulsion, particularly through Laura’s conflicted feelings toward Carmilla. This mirrors Poe’s exploration of the human psyche and internal conflict, as seen in stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" or "The Black Cat," where characters grapple with guilt, madness, and obsession.

Carmilla, as one of the earliest vampire tales, introduces the supernatural as a force that disrupts normal life. Similarly, Poe frequently used supernatural or uncanny elements—whether literal or psychological—to heighten tension and ambiguity in his narratives.

Both authors are preoccupied with death. In Carmilla, vampirism symbolizes a lingering, seductive death that preys on the living. Poe’s works often dwell on physical and mental decay, such as the crumbling mansion in "The Fall of the House of Usher" or the premature burial themes in "The Cask of Amontillado”.

While Poe’s Gothic often centers on male protagonists confronting death or madness, Carmilla innovatively focuses on female relationships and empowerment through its portrayal of a female vampire preying on another woman. This dynamic challenges Victorian norms of gender and sexuality, offering a fresh perspective within the Gothic tradition.

Le Fanu was likely influenced by earlier Gothic writers such as Horace Walpole (The Castle of Otranto) and Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho), as well as by Romantic poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Christabel)—all of whom also inspired Poe. Thus, while there is no direct influence from Carmilla on Poe's works, both authors contributed to evolving Gothic motifs that resonate across their writings.

Carmilla’s enduring impact lies in its pioneering role in vampire fiction (preceding Bram Stoker’s Dracula) and its exploration of taboo themes like lesbianism and female agency within a Gothic framework. These innovations complement Poe’s legacy as a master of psychological horror and macabre storytelling. Together, their works illustrate the adaptability and richness of Gothic fiction across different eras. 

Now while Carmilla did not directly influence Edgar Allan Poe due to its later publication date, it shares many thematic and stylistic elements with his work. Both authors are pillars of the Gothic genre, contributing uniquely to its development—Poe through his psychological depth and macabre imagination, and Le Fanu through his subversion of gender roles and expansion into vampire lore.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu is a Gothic novella that explores themes of vampirism, desire, and mystery. Narrated by Laura, a young woman living in a secluded Austrian castle with her father, the tale unfolds as a chilling account of her encounter with the enigmatic Carmilla.

The story begins with a carriage accident near Laura’s home. Inside are Carmilla, an unconscious young woman, and her mother, who claims urgent business and asks Laura’s father to care for her daughter temporarily.  Carmilla is left behind and quickly forms a close bond with Laura. Laura is delighted by Carmilla’s presence, but her guest exhibits strange behavior:

She wakes late in the day and avoids religious practices.
She remains secretive about her past.
As their friendship deepens, thenmysterious events occur:
Local girls begin dying from an unknown illness.

Laura experiences vivid nightmares of a large cat-like creature attacking her and sees visions of Carmilla drenched in blood.

Laura grows increasingly weaker as she suffers from strange dreams and unexplained puncture wounds near her collarbone. A doctor examines her and warns her father that she must never be left alone.

And on a journey to the nearby ruins of Karnstein, Laura and her father meet General Spielsdorf. He recounts how his niece Bertha fell victim to a vampire named Millarca—who is revealed to be another identity of Carmilla.

The group discovers that Carmilla is actually Countess Mircalla Karnstein, a vampire who has been preying on young women for centuries. Her name, along with Millarca, is an anagram of Mircalla.

With the help of Baron Vordenburg, an expert on vampires, the group locates Mircalla’s hidden tomb. They exorcise the vampire by driving a stake through her heart, decapitating her, and burning her remains.

Though Carmilla is destroyed, Laura never fully recovers from the trauma of the experience. She concludes her narrative by reflecting on the lingering memories of Carmilla and the eerie sense that she still hears her footsteps outside her door.

Now Carmilla explores vampirism as both a literal threat and a metaphor for forbidden desires, particularly through its depiction of Carmilla's predatory relationship with Laura. And Laura’s secluded life makes her an easy target for Carmilla’s influence.

The novella is rich in Gothic tropes—an isolated castle, mysterious strangers, supernatural events, and decaying ruins.

Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and is one of the earliest works to define modern vampire fiction. Its portrayal of female relationships and ambiguous sexuality has made it a landmark in Gothic literature and LGBTQ+ studies.

Oh yes, Carmilla shares many characteristics with Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.  They DO share several thematic and atmospheric similarities, particularly in their exploration of psychological decay, supernatural dread, and the intimate connection between setting and character. 

For example, both stories establish a sense of oppressive gloom through their settings, which reflect the characters' psychological states.

In Carmilla, Laura describes her surroundings as:

"No sylvan drive can be fancied prettier. The ground breaks into gentle hills and hollows, all clothed with beautiful wood, totally destitute of the comparative formality which artificial planting and early culture and pruning impart" .

While picturesque, this description contrasts with the lurking menace of Carmilla’s presence, creating an eerie tension beneath the idyllic surface.

Similarly, in The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe’s narrator observes:
"During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens... I looked upon the scene before me—upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain—upon the bleak walls—upon the vacant eye-like windows—upon a few rank sedges—and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees”. This description mirrors Roderick Usher’s mental state, as both he and his home are in a state of decay.

Both stories delve into psychological terror by blurring the boundaries between reality and hallucination, leaving characters (and readers) uncertain about what is real and what is not.

In Carmilla, Laura recounts her supernatural experience:
"I saw a large black object, very ill-defined, crawl, as it seemed to me, over the foot of the bed, and swiftly spread itself up to the poor girl’s throat, where it swelled, in a moment, into a great, palpitating mass”.

This moment captures Laura's terror as she becomes increasingly unsure whether she is dreaming or witnessing Carmilla's vampiric attack.

In The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick confesses his fears to the narrator:
"There were times indeed when I thought his unceasingly agitated mind was laboring with some oppressive secret... At times again I was 
obliged to resolve all into the mere inexplicable vagaries of madness”.

This ambiguity—whether Roderick’s fears stem from madness or supernatural forces—intensifies the story’s psychological horror.

Both works feature relationships that are emotionally or physically parasitic, draining vitality from one party - and remember that concept of energy transfer.

In Carmilla, Carmilla declares to Laura:
"I live in your warm life, and you shall die—die sweetly die—into mine. I cannot help it; as I draw near to you, you in your turn will draw near to others…".

This chilling statement encapsulates Carmilla’s vampiric nature as both literal (feeding on Laura’s life force) and metaphorical (dominating her emotionally).

In The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick’s relationship with his twin sister Madeline is similarly consuming. After her burial (while still alive), Roderick deteriorates further:

"The pallor of his countenance had assumed... a more ghastly hue... and a tremulous quaver... habitually characterized his utterance" .
Madeline’s eventual return seems like an act of vengeance against Roderick for burying her alive—a destructive bond that ultimately leads to their deaths.
In both tales, characters are so intertwined with their environments that their destruction becomes inevitable.

In Carmilla, Carmilla’s identity is tied to her ancestral crypt in Karnstein. Her death occurs when her body is exhumed from its resting place:

"There was a faint but appreciable respiration... The limbs were perfectly flexible... The leaden coffin floated with blood”.

The desecration of her tomb symbolizes her final separation from life.
In The Fall of the House of Usher, Roderick’s fate is inseparable from his decaying mansion:
"From that chamber, and from that mansion, I fled aghast. The storm was still abroad in all its wrath as I found myself crossing the old causeway... The radiance was that of the full setting... The deep and dank tarn at my feet closed sullenly and silently over the fragments of 'The House of Usher’".

The collapse of the house mirrors Roderick’s psychological collapse and signifies the end of his bloodline.

Now Both Carmilla and The Fall of the House of Usher use Gothic tropes like decaying settings, psychological ambiguity, parasitic relationships, and inevitable destruction to create deeply unsettling narratives. While Carmilla preys on Laura physically and emotionally as a vampire, Madeline Usher haunts her brother as an embodiment of familial guilt. These shared themes illustrate how Gothic literature explores human vulnerability through both internal fears and external horrors.

Even the atmosphere of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe and the setting of Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu share key Gothic elements, such as isolation, decay, and a sense of oppressive dread. 
Both stories feature settings that isolate their characters physically and psychologically.

In The Fall of the House of Usher, the narrator describes the Usher mansion as:

“[A]n atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the gray wall, and the silent tarn—a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued” .

This description conveys a sense of suffocating isolation and decay, with the house itself appearing alive and malevolent, mirroring the mental deterioration of its inhabitants.

In Carmilla, Laura’s family castle is similarly isolated:

“A vista opened in the forest; we were on a sudden under the chimneys and gables of the ruined village, and the towers and battlements of the dismantled castle, round which gigantic trees are grouped”.

The castle’s secluded location in a dense forest creates an atmosphere of entrapment, where external help feels distant or unreachable. This isolation heightens Laura’s vulnerability to Carmilla’s predatory influence.

And Both settings use physical decay to symbolize psychological or moral decline.

In Poe’s story, the Usher mansion is described as crumbling and diseased:

“The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves”.
The house’s physical disintegration parallels Roderick Usher’s mental collapse and foreshadows the eventual destruction of both house and family.

Similarly, in Carmilla, decay surrounds Carmilla’s ancestral Karnstein castle: “The towers and battlements of the dismantled castle… overhung us from a slight eminence” .

The ruins reflect Carmilla’s undead existence—she is both alluringly alive and grotesquely decayed. The setting underscores her parasitic nature as she feeds on Laura’s vitality.

Both stories create an oppressive mood that weighs heavily on their protagonists. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe emphasizes how even nature feels unnatural:

“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn… when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens” .

The bleak landscape amplifies feelings of dread and inevitability, trapping both narrator and reader in an environment devoid of hope.

In Carmilla, Laura describes her surroundings as idyllic yet tinged with unease:

“No sylvan drive can be fancied prettier… but under this beautiful exterior there was an air of sternness and solitude”.

The contrast between beauty and menace mirrors Carmilla’s dual nature as both seductive and deadly.

In both stories, the settings are imbued with supernatural overtones that blur reality.

In Poe’s tale, Roderick believes that his house is actually evil - “The result was discoverable… in that silent yet importunate and terrible influence which for centuries had moulded the destinies of his family” .

This supernatural element deepens the story’s uncanniness by suggesting that external forces contribute to Roderick’s madness.

In Carmilla, the ruins are tied to Carmilla’s vampiric existence:
“The castle accentuates… the power of the monster and the weakness of its victim”. The setting therefore becomes an extension of Carmilla herself—ancient, decayed, yet still dangerously alive.
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Join Celebrate Poe for Episode 346 - Leaving Me Trembling

Sources include: Carmilla and Other Tales of Torment: An Annotated Edition by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe.

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