A Comparative Study of Evil in Carmilla and The Countess

This essay provides a detailed analysis of the themes present in Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Carmilla' and compares them with those in the movie 'The Countess.' The primary focus is on the theme of evil, as depicted through the vampire Carmilla's exploitation of Laura's loneliness and Elizabeth Bathory's murderous pursuit of eternal youth. The essay highlights how both narratives explore the concept of evil through supernatural elements and the actions of their respective protagonists, drawing parallels between Carmilla's seductive manipulation and Bathory's bloodthirsty practices. The analysis concludes that both works share a common thread in their exploration of evil, albeit through different manifestations and contexts.

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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Carmilla is one of the renowned Gothic novellas that were penned down by the eminent
writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It is considered to be one of the early works in the realm of the
vampire fiction. The following paper attempts a discussion on the themes that are presented in
Carmilla. The essay further attempts a comparison of the themes as presented in Carmilla with
those that are presented in “The Countess”.
The story of Carmilla is known to have been revolving around the narration of a young
lady who had been preyed upon by a female vampire known as Carmilla. The novella reveals
that the name Carmilla was just an anagram for the actual name of the vampire in discussion,
Mircalla (Le Fanu, 2018). The novella majorly discusses the story of a prototypical lesbian
vampire who has been depicting romantic interests in a young lady (Le Fanu, 2015). The story is
also known to have been depicting the issues of homosexuality and the contemporary views that
were shared during the era. The major theme depicted in the story of Carmilla is the theme of
evil. The story is known to have been depicting a lonely young girl Laura who was left alone by
her mother at a very young age. The vampire Carmilla is known to have been taking advantage
of the situation (Gallagher, 2017). The author aims at focusing the readers’ attention on the
relationship that is shared by the protagonist of the story, Laura and the vampire in discussion,
Carmilla. The character in discussion, Carmilla is known to be a vampire, a supernatural being
that is generally observed to be evil. The incorporation of the evil members of the realm of the
supernatural inevidently discusses the fact that there is an undertone of the theme of evil within
the novella.
The novella is known to have been depicting the evil tones throughout the development
of the plot of the novella. The plot of the novella dictates that the vampire Carmilla is attempting
to take advantage of the loneliness of the young lady, the narrator in this case. The vampire is

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known to have been influencing the girl with the use of the numerous supernatural powers that
are vested in the vampire. The vampires in the story are known to have been seducing the
innocent people who do not belong to their clan (Lázaro, 2017). This step on their part has led to
the increase in the number of the vampires. The vampires are also known to have been surviving
on the blood of the other innocent human beings in their vicinity and thus leads to the instillation
of the evil in the concerned human being. The narrator of the novella in discussion further
informs her readers that her father and the doctor had taken note of the bite marks that were left
on her neck by Carmilla. The doctor is also known to have been leaving a note with Laura’s
father which was prescribed to have been opened in the presence of the priest (Tracy, 2016). As
per the popular belief, the doctor as well as the father of the protagonist is known to detect the
occurrence of the evil around Laura, who is introduced to be an innocent and lonely young lady.
The theme is also seen to be evident in the movie entitled “The Countess”. The story of
“The Countess” revolves round the life of the countess Elizabeth Bathory. The main lead of the
movie is known to have been living in the territorial boundaries of Hungary in the sixteenth
century. The movie is depicted from the view point of the former lover of the countess, István.
The storyline of the movie is known to be stating the disturbed childhood and other life
experiences that have been faced by Elizabeth Bathory (Youtube.com, 2018). The story further
progresses to discuss the fact that the countess had been involved in a killing spree after she
developed a notion that a bath in the blood of virgin ladies would help her to maintain her youth.
This leads her to go on and kill the virgin ladies and then soaking up in their blood. This is an act
of evil and is however noted to have been appreciated by the sycophantic servants of the
countess who have been encouraging of her practice by stating that her skin seems to have been
glowing after administering the weird treatment of the blood of virgins on her skin.

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Thus from the above discussion it might be stated that the overall theme of the novella in
discussion Carmilla is evil. The theme of “The Countess” also matches with the theme of the
novella in discussion.

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References
Gallagher, S. M. (2017). The Irish Vampire: From Folklore to the Imaginations of Charles
Robert Maturin, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker. McFarland.
Lázaro, A. (2017). The Dark Side of British Horror Fiction: Politics, Taboos and
Censorship. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 14(2), 69-
81.
Le Fanu, J. S. (2015). Carmilla. Booklassic.
Le Fanu, J. S. (2018). In a glass darkly. Broadview Press.
Tracy, R. (2016). Necrophiles and Necrofilles in Nineteenth-Century. Sex and Death in
Victorian Literature, 32.
Youtube.com. (2018). The Countess (2009) - Official Trailer. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNiRcgp75l0