Carmilla

First published in 1872, 'Carmilla' is a gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, an Irish writer of Gothic tales, mystery novels, and horror fiction. He was a leading ghost story writer of his time, central to the genre's development in the Victorian era. Laura lives a secret life with her father, isolated in a castle in the Austrian wilderness. When the mystifying Carmilla, a strange and beautiful lady, arrives in the night, no one suspects the supernatural occurrences that follow. But still more unsuspected is the tempestuous romance that blooms between the two young women, and Carmilla's nightmarish secret. Sheridan Le Fanu combines a chilling Gothic atmosphere with horrifying episodes, boldly exploring the sexual desires of his heroines, and establishing the image of the female vampire. "but curiosity is a restless and scrupulous passion, and no one girl can endure, with patience, that hers should be baffled by another." -Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla