Carmilla
By J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Cover: Carmilla: Laura and Carmilla watch the funeral pass (from The Dark Blue, 1872) by Michael Fitzgerald (fl. 1871-1891) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. A foundational work of English-language vampire literature, it predated Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) by 25 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue from 1871–72, the novella subsequently appeared in Le Fanu’s short story collection In a Glass Darkly in 1872. Set in 19th-century Styria, it is the story of a young woman who is pursued by the vampire Carmilla. Since its initial publication, Carmilla has often been regarded as one of the most influential vampire stories of all time; its title character is the literary prototype for the female and lesbian vampires in fiction.
Summary source: Wikipedia: Carmilla · CC BY-SA 4.0