Carmilla: A Critical Edition (Irish Studies)

Arrived exactly as expected in perfect condition

Standard paper back quality book. Received in great “new” condition.

Fantastic, but it seems unfinished. Not unsatisfying, but the story more than hints that it is just the begining of a more expansive novel. Seeing that Le Fanu died about a year after writing it this seems most likely.

Very good book. Well written.

Although overshadowed by the later Dracula, Carmilla still stands out as one of the best of the gothic vampire stories. This book includes the story itself in its original form, together with an introduction and four critical essays that set out to analyse the text from a variety of perspectives.Atmospheric and chilling, Carmilla has everything we could want - gothic ruins, beautiful victim, even more beautiful and extremely sexy vampire, midnight terrors and a climactic graveyard scene. Throw in some very Victorian-style lesbian eroticism and Le Fanu's fine writing and it's no surprise that Carmilla continues to be influential on writers and filmmakers even today. It's been years since I read it last, as part of Le Fanu's In a Glass Darkly collection, and I found I enjoyed it very much on re-reading.However the main purpose of this book is to critically re-analyse Carmilla and (somewhat to my surprise) I found the critical essays at least as enjoyable, if not more so, than the story itself. Jarlath Killeen places the story in its Irish context, arguing that it can be seen as a metaphor for the position of the contemporary Anglo-Irish community. Renee Fox also positions the book in an Irish context but argues convincingly against the picture of Laura representing the Protestant victim to Carmilla's Catholic aggressor. Lisabeth C Buchelt looks at the aesthetic positioning of the story in a very interesting and informative essay. And finally, Nancy M West takes us on a run through of the films that have been either adapted from or influenced by Carmilla, with a look at how the lesbianism in the story has been dealt with over the years.In conclusion, if you are interested in the story but not the criticism, then much better to get this as part of In a Glass Darkly. However, I found the criticisms interesting and thought-provoking, and for me they have enhanced the story without destroying any of its original impact. I therefore heartily recommend this book.NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.

I am divided over this book. I can't really decide if I respect it for being a pioneering work of its time or if I think the author should have kept this one private.The draw for me was the idea of a vampire novel created 25 years or so prior to the much more well known Dracula, and a Gaelic Gothic novella at that. I'm not sure I was exactly expecting what I found in this book. I'm not only referring to the content of the story, but also the length of the critical thoughts. The discussion of Le Fanu's work in this book is actually longer than the work itself. Although the introduction was very interesting and the later analyzing of the work was also interesting, if you are looking for a book for simple entertainment I certainly wouldn't recommend this edition.If you are instead looking for a breakdown of the story and would like to further study this subject, this would be the book to choose. This critical edition is filled with fact, historical information and theories on how this story came to be and what influenced the author to write it the way he did. The discussion of the effects of those novella on society at the time gave me pause and reason to stop and consider other aspects of this work I might have ordinarily overlooked.So, here is my breakdown:The story itself I loved and hated. The idea of a creature of such magnificent beauty with an underlying current of such grotesque evil has been done many times, both before and after the writing of this work. The visually appealing creature of vampiric nature that does not distinguish between male or female victims was interesting and complex.For the Victorian Era this book concerns, the idea of an older woman preying on a younger woman in a lesbian fashion must have been shocking to the readers of the time. This being said, there are a lot of ideas in this book that have been used in more modern literature to create the vampire image that we are now familiar with and perhaps not enough credit has been bestowed upon Carmilla for changing the face of the vampire that we know today.If I were pressed to choose a favourite part of this story, it would be the overall mysterious quality of Carmilla herself. She is guarded toward the other characters in the book as well as toward the audience. One is never entirely sure how she came to be what she is and why she behaves as she does. I was intrigued by the idea that she was as much a mental vampire as she was a physical one.This is a book that must be left for the reader to interpret and draw conclusions from. Did the author have some type of agenda? Possibly. There are psychosocial and political elements to this story that the reader can certainly spend days evaluating and still not have a perfect sense of the author's intentions.I personally enjoyed the critical view of the book more than the book in and of itself. I agreed strongly with the author on many points and found it didn't take much persuasion for me to side with the connections that were made in reference Le Fanu's work. This study text was thought provoking and not only made me consider the way the world has changed from the 1800's to now in a literary aspect, but was also aroused my curiosity on a number of other levels.One things is for certain, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu was certainly bold in his writing of this tale. The novella debuted at a point in history when sexual deviance among men was quite common and spoken of freely, but the idea of women engaging in such acts was unheard of and a taboo in society. I wonder what he would think of the world today.

Aunque no es mi idioma natal valió la pena por la presentación tan bonita que tiene acompañada de la gran historia que es

Although this book is about a specific literary work it makes a number of points about authorship in general and specifically the way in which a writer's historical era, personal circumstances, political and cultural views are embedded in what they write. This is particularly true of Le Fanu, a Protestant living in the predominantly Catholic south of Ireland. This book is an in depth study of a particular novella which covers a number of interdisciplinary issues via an introduction and four essays. A book for the literary critics!

Amazing book! I had no idea there was an earlier vampire than Dracula. Good quality book with academic essays inside for a better understanding.

I have Carmilla in many editions. One of my all time favourite stories that I revisit ever year on Oct 1st. I actually work where Le Fanu lived in Ireland, and lived beside his house. This edition is one of the best. Complete and the notes are a great edition. The essays are great, and added original illustrations are a bonus. Altogether a definite edition with great edit by Kathleen Costello-Sullivan. Worth the few euro/dollars more. Go for this edition.

Superb book. Excellent quality edition, original text and very interesting essays. Not particularly cheap to buy but so, so glad I did.