Carmilla

It’s fun to read this after getting so close of a familiarity with Dracula, and come upon phrases that tripped people up in Stoker. Like ‘cudgeling my brains’, which also appears here!

Noted on August 16, 2022

The short version is: sheltered 19-year-old Laura lives alone in a castle in the dark woods with her father, two governesses, and unnumbered nameless servants. She's never had a friend, and so it delighted when circumstances conspire to force Carmilla to stay with them for a few months. She's just Laura's age, is very pretty, seems to sleep most of the day away, has random episodes of intense lesbian longing for Laura, and also one time when Laura was 6 years old she dreamed about Carmilla attacking her in her sleep. Strange things are afoot at the Schloss.

Noted on August 16, 2022

A gothic vampire story that was published 20 years before Dracula! I heard about this because of Dracula Daily, of course. It's definitely a lesser novel, but still an interesting tale that sets up the hallmarks of vampire lore. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Noted on August 16, 2022