Carmilla
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer who specialized in mystery, Gothic, and horror fiction. Some of his most famous works include the novels Uncle Silas (1864) and The House by the Churchyard (1863) as well as the collection of related novellas, In a Glass Darkly (1872). Le Fanu is was highly influential in the development of "the ghost story" as a genre during the Victorian era. Le Fanu's influence on many works, especially through his work “Carmilla”, can be seen in works such as Dracula. In fact, Stoker was initially going to set his novel in Styria, a region of Austria, like "Carmilla" and only changed the setting to Transylvania in later drafts of the work. There are many other similarities between the two texts. Both are told in the first person. Le Fanu's description of Carmilla is very similar to Stoker's description of Lucy Westenra in Dracula, especially in the way both of their executions are portrayed. In addition, the character of Baron Vordenburg in "Carmilla" is a precursor to the character of Abraham Van Helsing in Dracula.
"Carmilla" was originally published in serial form in The Dark Blue, a literary magazine, in late 1871 and early 1872. It was later published in book form in Le Fanu's collection In a Glass Darkly. The plot of "Carmilla" features a teenage girl Laura, who lives with her father in a castle in the Austrian province of Styria. Laura relates that she had a nightmare when she was a child about a little girl staring at her in her room, and she believed that she received a puncture wound in her breast. However, when she woke up, no wound was found. Laura relates that she is lonely and longs for a friend. Soon thereafter, a mysterious carriage arrives and crashes in their vicinity. A teen girl is reportedly injured, and the girl's mother asks Laura's father to care for her as her trip is very urgent. The father agrees and the girl, named Carmilla, stays with Laura in order to recuperate from her injuries. During Carmilla's stay, she begins to exhibit strange behavior such as not joining n family prayers, sleeping all day, and sleepwalking at night. In addition, girls from the nearby village begin to die under mysterious circumstances. Laura herself begins to grow weaker and weaker, reporting that she is having nightmares about a strange, cat-like beast attacking her in her sleep. The family receive a package of restored heirlooms and in it is a portrait of Mircalla, Countess Karnstein, dated 1698 that looks exactly like Carmilla. Laura and her father travel to Castel Karnstein. On their trip there, they meet with General Spielsdorf who relates his own encounter with Mircalla/Carmilla and the death of his niece Bertha. The group search the castle and, during the search, the general encounters Carmilla who attacks and disarms him. Later that day, the family meets Baron Vordenbrug, a vampire expert, who the next day, leads the group to Carmilla's secret tomb. With the aid of an imperial commission, Carmilla's grave is exhumed. A stake is driven through her heart and her head is cut off. Her head and body are then burned and scattered in the river. Laura and her father travel to Italy, where Laura continues to be affected by her attack.