47. Hamilton, Laurell K, Lim, Booth. Guilty Pleasures: Volume 2. 144 pages. 5.5.09.

48. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Kiss of the Night. 382 pages. 5.6.09.

49. Le Fanu, Sheridan. Carmilla. 112 pages. 5.6.09.

I first came across J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novella as part of a graduate independent study of gothic literature. It quickly became a personal favorite, as well as an integral part of what will (hopefully) one day become my dissertation.

Carmilla tells the tale of a vampire (or oupire, as the peasants refer to them in the novella) who preys on young women; Carmilla becomes intimately attached to the daughter or ward of a wealthy family, and in her pursuit of love and friendship (and perhaps other things...) eventually drains her new found "friend" of her blood and her life. Predating Bram Stoker's classic tale by 25 years, and following the publication of Polidori's short story by 53 years, Le Fanu's tale is one of the first to popularize the figure of the vampire in 19th-century English prose, and has done much to help popularize the subject.

What I find particularly interesting about this work is the hybridization of traditional vampire legends (dating back to stories of Lilith herself) and the evolving contemporary vampire mythology of 19th-century England. Like traditional tales, Carmilla is represented as a young woman, and her victims often describe a sense of being strangled in their beds. However, the tale also presents elements of more contemporary ideas, such as a coffin full of blood and long needle-like fangs.

I won't go more in-depth for fear of turning a review into a chapter, but I can't praise Carmilla enough. It is a tale sure to delight anyone with interests in 19th-century prose, gothic literature, or vampires (or any combination thereof). LeFanu is a master of gothic tales, and Carmilla is a credit to his name and his craft.