Morgan Thoma
English 263: The Irish Novel Tradition
February 23rd, 2010
Carmilla: This is Certainly No Twilight!
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is mostly known for his riveting ghost stories and chilling tales. However, he is also known for his vampire novella, Carmilla. It isn’t as well-known or “famous” as Dracula may be, but it is just as unsettling as one can picture a novel about vampires being. I personally found Carmilla to be a very enjoyable novel; easy to read, easy to comprehend, and easy to get into. Nowadays vampires have become all the rage in pop culture, but it’s always interesting to see how the ‘documenting’ of vampires in literary works came about.
Carmilla was published in 1872, during the Victorian Era (1837-1901.) A story about a young girl being more than just admired by a beautiful vampire, Carmilla raises references to many things like the Irish Famine, the Act of Union of 1800, and, of course, homosexuality. After searching around on the internet for a good youtube video or website about this novella, I finally found a site that had a few good points and references in relation to the Irish Famine and Carmilla. This site, http://literaryservice.com/darkecho/horroronline/irish_vampire.html was helpful in pointing out certain relations between the book and history, which I then researched further. The website however also referenced its points from Richard Davenport-Hines in Gothic: Four Hundred Years of Excess, Horror, Evil and Ruin. This book was not available for free online, so I could not read it, but I read a few things that it contained and it definitely had relation to this era, but more of a broader definition of Gothic, and didn’t pertain specifically to this novel. But back to the website, it states that the “ruined village” described in the book really bears a resemblance to the effect of the Great Famine of Ireland; the aftermath being lives lost and emigration from the country—depopulation. The whole atmosphere in the novel seemed quite surprising to me. I mean, first I noticed that right away in the beginning Laura mentions the nearest house to her (castle, if you may) is quite far away.
“The nearest inhabited schloss of any historic associations, is that of old General Spielsdorf, nearly twenty miles away to the right.” Chapter One.
See, I figured that there would be a higher population. She also adds after describing the ruined village:
“Respecting the cause of the desertion of this striking and melancholy spot, there is a legend which I shall relate to you another time.”
This is what I see as referencing the famine. Laura also notes that not many people live with her and her father in their castle, also possibly due to the famine. Laura’s loneliness is key in the novel, illustrating that not many people live in the country she’s in that are her age. Also, Carmilla is set in an Austrian setting, not Ireland, but one can come to find that even still, Carmilla is referring to Ireland and its history throughout the novel.
Another reference mentioned on the website was that of the Karnstein family—Carmilla’s family. The website says, “The extinct "proud family of Karnstein" is a parallel for the extinction of much of the Irish peerage after the Act of Union of 1800. After 1800, no new Irish peerage could be created without the extinction of three old ones, thus the aristocracy was "only able to regenerate by a sort of legalistic vampirism." Carmilla, an undead member of the otherwise defunct Karnsteins, "[l]ike the Irish peerage...needs extinctions to revive." The three young women who expire in the story equate with the "three Irish peerages required before a new one can come alive."
This quote basically says it all, and although this is through the perspective of somebody else reading this story, it’s relevant and makes sense and I have to agree with it.
I also noticed something in the beginning of the novel that isn’t noted on the website. While Laura and her father are out taking their evening walk, after meeting up with Madame Perrodon and Mademoiselle De Lafontaine, she takes note of the pure beauty of “Austria.”
“We sat down on a rude bench, under a group of magnificent lime trees. The sun was setting with all its melancholy splendour behind the sylvan horizon, and the stream that flows beside our home, and passes under the steep old bridge I have mentioned, wound through many a group of noble trees, almost at our feet, reflecting in its current the fading crimson of the sky.”
“Over the sward and low grounds a thin film of mist was stealing like smoke, marking the distances with a transparent veil; and here and there we could see the river faintly flashing in the moonlight.
No softer, sweeter scene could be imagined. The news I had just heard made it melancholy; but nothing could disturb its character of profound serenity, and the enchanted glory and vagueness of the prospect.”
This reminds me of the “calm after the storm.” When a big thunderstorm passes through an area, many people find that there is beauty in the aftermath. In other words, there have been great hardships that Ireland has had to deal with. After the famine, a lot of people moved out of the country if they survived, and some people stayed. But no matter what, the beauty still stayed in the country. After the “storm,” people still found things to be appreciative for, and I think that’s what Laura is describing in this scene, and maybe the point the author wants to make. Or maybe the author is painting a picture of beauty and trying to say that even though a place is beautiful, it still has parts about it that aren’t. Either way, Carmilla definitely relates to Irish history, and was a very enjoyable novel to read.
Works Cited:
“History of Ireland, 1800 - 1877: The Act of Union, Emancipation and the Great Famine.” WesleyJohnston.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2010.
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/history/18001877.html
Guran, Paula. “As Irish As The Vampire?” (Feb 2000). Literaryservice.com. Web. 22 Feb. 2010.
http://literaryservice.com/darkecho/horroronline/irish_vampire.html
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Lucky,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post and providing a completely different perspective than I had envisioned. Also I checked out the website you used and found it very interesting, not only the discussion regarding "Carmilla" but also the initial discussion regarding St. Patrick and the Celtic Druids. I'm fascinated by how religion in seemingly "good" intents can go so awry and cause such huge upheavals, pain, and suffering. Ireland has definitely had it's share of these issues over the course of its history.
I really liked the idea of linking the Irish Famine to the "ruined village" in the story. I went a different way, but didn't get a chance to explore what the "ruined" village would mean in my interpretation.
Additionally, the connection between Austria and Ireland is quite clear, and now I'm starting to think that all my thoughts on this topic were completely off base...once again!! Oh well, live and learn.
I really liked your comment, "This reminds me of the “calm after the storm.” When a big thunderstorm passes through an area, many people find that there is beauty in the aftermath. In other words, there have been great hardships that Ireland has had to deal with. After the famine, a lot of people moved out of the country if they survived, and some people stayed. But no matter what, the beauty still stayed in the country." It's an interesting comparison that again, I did not make, but somehow seems to be fitting of Ireland today more so than directly after the famine.
Anyway, thanks again for a new insight and perspective.
Lucky,
ReplyDeleteVery cool website! I'm also intrigued by the comment of the ruined village as it relates to Ireland in the post-Famine years. The sense of ruin and decay is often depicted in Irish novels towards the latter half of the 19th century, and I think a lot of it has to do with the complete drain of people and resources that occurred after the Famine which wiped out so much of the population. Look for that sense of decay when we read Portrait of the Artist.
Lucky, you just helped me understand Carmilla in much more nuanced ways! Much appreciated. That link you provided was really interesting, and definitely offered some helpful insights into the time period this book was providing commentary upon.
ReplyDeleteYour insight into the conversation between Laura and her father, about the "calm after the storm" and how this evokes Ireland in all her post-famine despair, was quite wonderful, in my opinion. I don't always find myself making connections like those, but when I become aware of them, I'm always happy to learn of the subtle and symbolic ways an author communicates with their audience.
I still can't claim to be clear on the relationship between Austria and Ireland in the book ... why, if it's Ireland that's being (at least symbolically) depicted, Austria is the actual setting used. Maybe somebody else can help me to understand this point of interest?