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Carmilla
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Cary
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Jan 29, 2009 05:46AM
Carmilla is easily one of the best vampire stories ever written and has survived the test of time by being in publication for 140 years. It is fast passed and extremely clever. Carmilla is such a wonderful beautiful girl and at the same time a fiendish vampire. This book explores the duality of our natures. My favorite character besides Carmilla is Maska. What do you like about Carmilla?
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I haven't read this yet, but I plan to since you rave about it all the time! :)
Well everyone else raves about Twilight and I thought someone should stand up for the old classics. Its free online at Horror Masters.com Vampire section. It is a long short story and just jumps right outa the gate. If you start you will not put it down till its done. But more than that is it so clever and well written. I think I am the only one here who has read it. Thats because I am the only person her over 30 I think.
Some of you other people check it out. Tell me what characters you dig. I read Twilight which is OK. I even read Kissing Coffins. So I at least check things out. "Over all this the schloss shows its many colored windows in front; it's towers, and it's Gothic chapel. A steep Gothic bridge carries the road over a stream that winds in deep shadow through the wood. I have said it is a lonley place. Judge wether I say truth.
I'm about to start reading it and am really excited. I pretty much love vampire stories of all kinds and am really looking forward to reading what I've heard is the best vampire story of all time.Cary, your link didn't work but I found it online here if anyone is interested http://www.sff.net/people/Doylemacdon...
You might not have typed it in right http://www.horrormasters.com/Themes/v... This site is excellent. Its vampire section has all the classics. Carmilla, Tomb of Sarah, Tale of the Campagna,and The Mysterious Stranger. My favorites as well as Draculas Guest and Dracaula,The Vampire Maid. More than that it has a supernatural/occult section with H.P. Lovecrafts stories like At The Mountains of Madness and The Color From Space and many other classic tales of ghosts and the like. These are stories that leap right out from the start. None of this when are they gonna stop talking about B.F.s and fashion. Straight to the mystery and action.
Another character I like is the little hunch back handy man who visits the castle twice a year with his cute little mongrel dog. He comments on Carmillas teeth and throws her into a coniption fit. Probably the most curious character is the black gypsy woman Maska. She only is mentioned in a couple lines. Yet her description is so wicked and sets the atmosphere of what is to come. Carmilla is a story that must be read very carefully.
Another curious thing is how Carmilla became a vampire and her attaction to women victims. Carmilla is very feminine and I think she see's girls as easier prey than men. It was a man who turned Carmilla when she was 19 or 20. All she says that relates to her turning. Is that "It was a cruel love." Is Carmilla a lesbian?
I am going to read it sooner or later, and I will update with my thoughts. Oh, and I highly doubt you are the only one over 30! :)
Hopefully this story has been around a long time. Its been adapted for film on several occassions. I think the reason it never made it real big. Is because the lead character is a woman. Think about it. You hear people lauding Edward, Alexander, and such. But now one ever talks about female vampires. I don't think many men read vampire books. I am a strange guy in that respect. I love Carmilla!
Dear Vampire fans has not one of you read Carmilla. Wassup with that?
I can't remember how many times I have read Carmilla. I always see something new. I am at the first part of the book now. Were Laura remembers Carmillas face. As the strange woman who came into her bedroom as a child in the middle of the night. They are both around 19 years old. But Lauara was six when she first saw Carmilla who looks now just as she did years ago. Carmilla fools Laura by making up a story that she too had the same dream. Carmillas tomb is in a hidden corner of her families desroyed chapel in a deserted medieval village 3 miles from Lauras Schloss. So Carmilla has always been close to Laura.
Carmillas lust for Laura sometimes takes her by surprise. She used to place her pretty arms around my neck,draw me to her and laying her cheek next to mine murmer in my ear. "In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your sweet warm life,and you shall die - die,sweetly into mine." And when she had spoken such a rhapsody she would press me closer in her trembling embrace and her lips in soft kisses glow upon my face. What do you think? Is that hot enough for yah? Read Carmilla it will give you an O gsm
On the floor about a yard below the foot of the bed she stared at me with skulking ferocity and horror fixed on me,I saw Mircalla. Speculating I know not what. I instantly struck at her with my sword, only to see her standing by the door unscathed. Horrified I pursued and struck once more but she vanished and my sword flew to splinters against the door.
The above is a desciption by General Spielsdorf of waiting in the closet for the arrival of Carmilla at her victims bedside(Bertha the Gernerals daughter). He recognzies her as the girl he knows as Millarca the Countess Karnstien and realizes she is the vampire that is killing his dear stepdaughter Bertha.
Carmilla is already in my reading list. I knew I so need to read it. =)~
Yay!!!!!!! Good for you. Trust me it is the first well written vampire story. It was written 20 years before Dracula and in some ways surpasses it in imagination. It's very short and fast paced. Yet those few pages contain a story of depth and complexity. Being about a young woman vampire makes it very unique. Cary
How Mircalla's death was temporarilly averted by her lover a Styrian nobleman. He had been in his youth a passionate and favorite lover of the beautiful countess Mircalla Karnstein. Her early death plunged him into inconsolable grief. Knowing that when the amphibious existance of a vampire is terminated they go to a far more horrible fate. He was determined to save the idol of his youth from this. At the time of her death many of her family were being exhumed and staked and beheaded. He knew sooner or later this suspicion would fall on Mircalla. So he secretly had Mircallas tomb moved to another part of the Karnstein family chapel and carefuly hidden. Upon his death bed he realized the terrible evil he had allowed to remain on earth preying upon people and by the rules of some ghostly law creating new vampires. In his remorse on his death bead he drew a map which revealed the secret hiding place of Mircallas tomb within the chapel. So that after his death she could be tracked down and destroyed. This information had come into the hands of Baron Vorntenburg. A student of the occult and Romanian folk lore and a decendant of the Karnstein family. This information was given to General Spielsdorf and Carmillas doom was sealed.
The vampire is, apparantly, subject, in certain situations, to special conditions. In the particular instance of which I have given you a relation, Mircalla seemed to be limited to a name which, if not her real one, should at least reproduce without omission or addition of a single letter, those, as wes say,anagrammatically ,which compose it. Mircalla, Millarca, Carmilla.
You know I keep reading new vampire books all the time to keep current. But nothing beats old school. Carmilla is the best only rivaled by Dracula. Jesus freaking Christ people. Carmilla has depth,and a real plot developement, plus a theme "the duality of human nature". I guess its just to heavy for your normal person who is reading for cheap thrills. Cary
Carmilla and Laura watched the foresters daughter being taken to be buried and Carmilla got exceedingly upset when Laura started to sing Christian hymns with the burial party. She began to shake and put her fingers in her ears. Then she told Laura to stop and said " How can you be sure that your religeon and mine are the same". I wonder what she meant. Did vampires have religeon or was she upset at seeing her latest victim. It seems that Carmilla for all her wickedness had a sense of remorse. Or did not like to be confronted with what she had done. It really spooked Laura who thinking about it latter to herself wrote. "I am not sure if our guest is even a Christian". I wonder what faith she follows. She never reveals anything about herself or her past".
Carmilla is one different vampire. Being one of the very earliest stories it is very original in not being a copy cat of everything else. That is what makes Carmilla so special. It is has a theme "The Duality of Human Nature". Carmilla is a beautiful pleasant girl during her afternoon to late evening hours. After everyone has gone to bed she awakens and searches for a victim. Then returns to her crypt. She has little or no recollection of what she has done the night before but suspects it. Right at dawn she teleports from her tomb and materializes in the crypt and then wanders home. Where she sneaks back into whatever house she is staying at and appears to wake up at noon or a little after. A couple of times people have said they saw a ghost in the neighborhood of the Schloss where Carmilla is staying. But it was Carmilla walking home in a trance. When she awakens in her room she has little or no recollection of her terrible deeds. She comes out of her bedroom each afternoon as the lovely and friendly young girl everyone knows. She is however plagued by a strange langour. Just walking short distances seemes to tire her and she never does anything to vigorous except when she gets aroused sexually. C
I just got a book by the author of Carmilla, Sheridan La Fanu. It consists of five stories or cases by Dr. Martin Hesselius a scholar of occult & metaphysical medicine. Among his papers after his death was the narrative off Carmilla. But he had many other works on the occult and metaphysical. One being "In A Glass Darkly".
From the story "Green Tea" What Dr. Hesselius found out by reading Rev. Jennings book from a volume of the" Arcana Caelestia" a group of works on black majic and theology by Dr Swedenborg. Every man is has two types of sight. The sight of vision and the sight of the inner soul which manifests itself in visual as well as spiritual vision. Very few men have the ability to use this second sight. Also each man has at least two evil spirits which live in hell but which can leave hell and into a world between heaven and hell called the spirit world. By this means they can enter our world through a human mind. These spirits are from hell and if they find out they are in a human they will reveal themselves as feral or beastial familiars to our seeing vision. Also once they they have gained access to a human body they are released from the torments of hell. Hating humans they will try to destroy us by causing us to perform evil acts, and drag our souls back into hell to which they must return. Only your soul and your faith can keep these deamons at bay. This is what Dr Hesseilius had suspected for a long time. The Rev Jennings had the ability of this second sight. Not all humans have it. Because of this he could see evil and was waging a constant struggle with with it.(from "In A Glass Darkly")
More "Green Tea" Reverand Jennings relates his story to Dr. Hesselius. His demon had appeard in three stages. First while riding the horse drawn London Trolly. He saw a pair of red glowing dots. They were at passenger level and then appeared on the floor. Then back up on the seat accross from him. Upon closer inspection around these red dots materialized the figure of a small black monkey. The red spots had been its eyes. The monkey followed him home. It always stayed with him constantly watching. His only escape was in sleep. Stage 2 the monkey would disappear for as long as a fornight only to return with a more vindictive attitude leering and jumping up on the pulpit during sermons and waving his hands. No one but Rev Jennings who had the sight could see him. Stage 3 the monkey begins to talk to the Reverand.Urging him to commit all kinds of blasphamey and then kill himself. At last he is on a hiking excursion with his niece out in the country. The monkey appears telling him to commit suicide by jumping down a mine shaft. The Rev Jennings is only able to avert this by the fact he does not want to put his niece in shock. Dr Hesselius mulls all this over and tells the Reverand to have faith. God put his niece by his side for a purpose. To keep him alive. So Dr. Hesselius tells him to keep his faith in God. While he reviews the case and comes up with a plan to deal with this deamon.
I so love Carmilla. I have got to have her,LOL.
As it turns out as Dr. Hesselius is puting together his cure for the Reverand Jennings he is shocked to learn that the Reverand has cut his throat ear to ear with a razor. Dr Hesselius does not consider this a failure because he never got a chance to begin treatment. According to Dr Hesselius this episode of possesion was caused by the consumption of to much green tea. I wonder what would have happened it Rev Jennings had been on coke,LOL.
Glad to see people know this classic vampires story.For it and other classics I highly recommend The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories. Besides Carmilla, it has The Vampyre by John Polidori(1819) which is seen as the inspiration for modern vampire fiction, "Dracula's Guest, a short story often omitted from most Dracula novels, and "The Living Dead" by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, as well as many many more.
Also recommend The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women which has some great stories and many authors that people probably already know like Anne Rice, Tanya Huff, and Nancy Collins.
Yup Penguin, and Mammoth are good collections of stories. One real good vampire story is The Mystery of the Campagna. The Mysterious Stanger, The Tomb of Sarah. I just love those old Gothic Vampire stories the best. The first person to write a diffinitive treatease on Vampires was Augustine Calmet. He was a French monk around 1700. He also quotes from the oldest known western vampire source the Magia Posthuma. The Magia has been long out of print. However in Carmilla, Dracula, and other vampire stories you can tell they read Augustine Calmets Phantom World to get allot of their ideas. This book Phantom World has been published under other titles but the one currenty used for the writings of Calmet is Phantom World. A very good book itself for people who are really intrested in the legend of western ideas of vampires, ghosts, demons, witches,angels, and the occult. :)
Nothing like a good old gothic vampire story like Carmilla. Very cleveryly written. I have two copies. One individual as a single long short story. Plus the original publication in a book of occult stories by Sheridan Lefanu called In a Glass Darkly. Originally Carmilla was published in a magaizine called The Dark Blue.
I'm gonna read it, Cary - it doesn't look very long.
This is a great story. I love reading about the relationship between Carmilla and Laura. And I love how the story itself unfolds.
P.S. Cary I read this story about two years ago, when I was 19. So it doesn't matter whether you are over or under 30, it's a story worth reading.
P.S. Cary I read this story about two years ago, when I was 19. So it doesn't matter whether you are over or under 30, it's a story worth reading.
