Carmilla

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814–1873)

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"Carmilla" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a Gothic novella published in 1872. A foundational work of vampire literature that predated "Dracula" by 25 years, it tells the story of young Laura, who lives in an isolated Austrian castle. When the enigmatic Carmilla arrives after a carriage accident, the two girls form an intense friendship marked by romantic advances and unsettling mysteries. As young women in nearby towns begin dying from an unknown illness, Laura experiences disturbing nightmares and her health mysteriously declines.