Carmilla (short read) by Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu A pretty short read, this classic was the first vampire novel *and* it featured lesbian romance—in 1872. It's free/public domain: Project Gutenberg copies (read online or send to your kindle, free). Free audio version on YouTube. There are also various paid audio versions out there. Summary: Isolated in a secluded Austrian castle, young Laura’s quiet life is shattered when an enigmatic guest, Carmilla, arrives in her family's care following a carriage accident. Laura is instantly swept into an intense, hypnotic, and overtly sapphic romance with her captivating companion—unaware that Carmilla's arrival coincides with a wasting illness creeping through the countryside. Written in 1872, twenty-five years before Bram Stoker’s *Dracula, this groundbreaking gothic novella pioneered the female vampire archetype and shocked Victorian readers by placing queer desire directly at the heart of psychological horror. As Laura weakens under Carmilla’s intoxicating hold, her allies race to uncover the truth before she is consumed entirely.Themes for Discussion: Queer desire and subversion, Victorian repressions, the blur between affection and predation, contagion, and female isolation. Page Count: 80–120 pages (depending on print) Genre: Gothic Horror / Vampire Fiction / Classic Novella