One story on her list:CarmillaRead about a novel on the list.
What it's about: The original lesbian vampire story, this 1871 novel by J. Sheridan Le Fanu follows the beautiful Carmilla Karnstein, who preys on a young girl, Laura, but also falls in love with her. This novel was made into several movies, including Roger Vadim's Blood and Roses and the Hammer Horror film The Vampire Lovers.
Why it's romantic: Carmilla and Laura are constantly embracing and kissing each other in the novel, and Laura talks about Carmilla "gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover." Carmilla feels guilty for sucking the life force out of Laura, but also professes love and adoration for her. Like many vampire romances, their love is doomed and unhealthy, but also glorious.
Carmilla also made John Mullan's list of ten of the best femmes fatales in literature and Lisa Tuttle's critic's chart of top vampire books.
--Marshal Zeringue
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