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jakesf98 's review for:
In a Glass Darkly
by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
As the back of my copy states, Henry James remarked of Le Fanu's works that they were “the ideal reading in a country house for the hours after midnight.” I don't own a fancy country-house of the kind James probably had in mind, but my parents do live in the countryside so while I'm off for the summer and living with them again, it seemed the perfect reading material.
English Lit. student that I am, 'Carmilla' is a familiar name to me so I'd always intended at some point to read it. I went ahead and bought the whole book it is from rather just reading Carmilla by itself online somewhere.
I think I should give each individual story its own ranking.
Green Tea: 2/5. I found the brevity of the short story and the fact that the whole plot revolves a supernatural monkey stalking a man hard to find frightening. The summation of its being caused by drinking green tea and this somehow weakening one's natural barrier to paranormal influences felt deliberately comical. Maybe that was the intended effect, or maybe I'm just from too different a time period.
The Familiar: 3/5. I really enjoyed this idea. It reminded me strikingly of the modern unsolved case of the New Jersey family being taunted/stalked by someone who signs off as 'The Watcher' (I'm a buff for all the unsolved stuff...murders, kidnappings, creepy shiz, etc.). However, the resolution felt not as great as I had hoped. I wanted something a little more juicy than what the "real" supposed cause of the whole paranormal scenario was.
Mr. Justice Harbottle: 4/5. This really kept me on edge and left me wondering quite well. I enjoyed the addition of the love-triangle (I won't spoil what this exactly is) between Mr. Harbottle and the idea of the deserving punishment. Plus, the whole idea of a charivari-like inverse of the justice system as the punishers for Mr. Harbottle is pretty good. The resolution was fascinating and quite chilling, especially with the palanquin scene (if you know, you know).
The Room in the Dragon Volant: 4/5. It made me feel smart to pick up on the punning of dragon/dragoon and volant equalling both 'flying' and 'stealing' (A-level French thank you, you were not pointless). While not paranormal in resolution, it was filled with Gothic setting and tropes enough to keep me on edge and wondering. It was a good thriller and I genuinely didn't see the end coming. While a little replete in what is now outdated chivalry and slightly misogynistic character-tropes, I really did enjoy the narrative build-up. I knew things just seemed too coincidental to not be sinister.
Carmilla: Now for the final, and my favourite, of the bunch. Carmilla, you get a firm 5 out of 5. I enjoyed this vampire narrative far more than Dracula. Or, it gave me all the best bits of Dracula without the unnecessary diatribes and the whole "You're a woman Mina, stay out of this" bit at about the 3/4 mark which put me off and I haven't resumed from where I left off since then. I genuinely enjoyed having a female narrator, since the other stories are all male-driven. While it is largely the cause of the lesbian vampire trope which is, at this point, stale and laughable, I found the idea of vampirism and same-sex desires mingling fascinating. I know, Foucault warned me against believing Victorians never talked about sex, including 'deviance', but it still surprised me to have such frank depiction of woman-on-woman affection and sexual inclinations. It's very outrightly described as being like that of a lover by the narrator, Laura.
In addition, knowing Carmilla was one of the potential inspirations for the Camilla/Rita character in Mulholland Drive, I honestly couldn't stop reading Laura as Diane/Betty. I'm too obsessed with that movie for my own good.
Anyway, Carmilla really stole the show for me so here's a few of my favourite quotes.
+ '“I have been in love with no one, and never shall," she whispered, "unless it should be with you."
How beautiful she looked in the moonlight!
Shy and strange was the look with which she quickly hid her face in my neck and hair, with tumultuous sighs, that seemed almost to sob, and pressed in mine a hand that trembled.
Her soft cheek was glowing against mine. "Darling, darling," she murmured, "I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so."'
+ 'Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, 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; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever." Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.'
+ 'and to this hour the image of Carmilla returns to mind with ambiguous alterations--sometimes the playful, languid, beautiful girl; sometimes the writhing fiend I saw in the ruined church; and often from a reverie I have started, fancying I heard the light step of Carmilla at the drawing room door.'
English Lit. student that I am, 'Carmilla' is a familiar name to me so I'd always intended at some point to read it. I went ahead and bought the whole book it is from rather just reading Carmilla by itself online somewhere.
I think I should give each individual story its own ranking.
Green Tea: 2/5. I found the brevity of the short story and the fact that the whole plot revolves a supernatural monkey stalking a man hard to find frightening. The summation of its being caused by drinking green tea and this somehow weakening one's natural barrier to paranormal influences felt deliberately comical. Maybe that was the intended effect, or maybe I'm just from too different a time period.
The Familiar: 3/5. I really enjoyed this idea. It reminded me strikingly of the modern unsolved case of the New Jersey family being taunted/stalked by someone who signs off as 'The Watcher' (I'm a buff for all the unsolved stuff...murders, kidnappings, creepy shiz, etc.). However, the resolution felt not as great as I had hoped. I wanted something a little more juicy than what the "real" supposed cause of the whole paranormal scenario was.
Mr. Justice Harbottle: 4/5. This really kept me on edge and left me wondering quite well. I enjoyed the addition of the love-triangle (I won't spoil what this exactly is) between Mr. Harbottle and the idea of the deserving punishment. Plus, the whole idea of a charivari-like inverse of the justice system as the punishers for Mr. Harbottle is pretty good. The resolution was fascinating and quite chilling, especially with the palanquin scene (if you know, you know).
The Room in the Dragon Volant: 4/5. It made me feel smart to pick up on the punning of dragon/dragoon and volant equalling both 'flying' and 'stealing' (A-level French thank you, you were not pointless). While not paranormal in resolution, it was filled with Gothic setting and tropes enough to keep me on edge and wondering. It was a good thriller and I genuinely didn't see the end coming. While a little replete in what is now outdated chivalry and slightly misogynistic character-tropes, I really did enjoy the narrative build-up. I knew things just seemed too coincidental to not be sinister.
Carmilla: Now for the final, and my favourite, of the bunch. Carmilla, you get a firm 5 out of 5. I enjoyed this vampire narrative far more than Dracula. Or, it gave me all the best bits of Dracula without the unnecessary diatribes and the whole "You're a woman Mina, stay out of this" bit at about the 3/4 mark which put me off and I haven't resumed from where I left off since then. I genuinely enjoyed having a female narrator, since the other stories are all male-driven. While it is largely the cause of the lesbian vampire trope which is, at this point, stale and laughable, I found the idea of vampirism and same-sex desires mingling fascinating. I know, Foucault warned me against believing Victorians never talked about sex, including 'deviance', but it still surprised me to have such frank depiction of woman-on-woman affection and sexual inclinations. It's very outrightly described as being like that of a lover by the narrator, Laura.
In addition, knowing Carmilla was one of the potential inspirations for the Camilla/Rita character in Mulholland Drive, I honestly couldn't stop reading Laura as Diane/Betty. I'm too obsessed with that movie for my own good.
Anyway, Carmilla really stole the show for me so here's a few of my favourite quotes.
+ '“I have been in love with no one, and never shall," she whispered, "unless it should be with you."
How beautiful she looked in the moonlight!
Shy and strange was the look with which she quickly hid her face in my neck and hair, with tumultuous sighs, that seemed almost to sob, and pressed in mine a hand that trembled.
Her soft cheek was glowing against mine. "Darling, darling," she murmured, "I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so."'
+ 'Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, 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; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, "You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever." Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.'
+ 'and to this hour the image of Carmilla returns to mind with ambiguous alterations--sometimes the playful, languid, beautiful girl; sometimes the writhing fiend I saw in the ruined church; and often from a reverie I have started, fancying I heard the light step of Carmilla at the drawing room door.'