On Vampirism and the Femme Fatale in Literature 

The idea of the femme fatale, female sexuality, and vampirism are concepts that have been linked since the late 1800s. It has been suggested that the concept of the female vampire “personifies the threat of female power to male dominated societies.” This is likely due, in part, to the dominant nature of the vampire; while many Victorian-era women were expected to be passive to the desires of men, the female vampire has the ability to physically entice men: be it by seduction, or force. The vampire feeds from her victim with a sharp, deadly, possessive bite to the neck, displaying both her dominance and strength; similarly, the action of the vampiric fangs protruding through the skin of the neck has been compared to sexual penetration – this allegory being conflated with a female figure rather than a male one, therefore, indicates not only female dominance alongside the man, but rather, instead of. Interestingly, the character Lilith as described in Jewish folklore, and as referenced throughout previous chapters, is thought to have been an early rendition of the female vampire, as she took on the role of a demonic entity, seducing men to create demonic offspring, before drinking her victims’ blood. This suggests that, much like the archetypes discussed previously, the femme fatale and the corresponding myths associated with her present a concept of female morality and sexuality which has been ingrained in society, religion and literature from eras which historically surpass the implementation of these concepts into fictional or entertainment-based literature. 

 

The common themes between the femme fatale and the concept of vampirism were not dismissed by writers within the 19th Century; in 1872, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu would publish his novel Carmilla: the story of a female vampire who formed a relationship with and, ultimately, preyed upon another young woman. Described as “beautiful and indescribably engaging,” Le Fanu’s tale discusses how Carmilla visits the narrator, Laura, in [Laura’s] childhood, before becoming re-acquainted with her after what the narrator believes to be an accident twelve years later. Immediately drawn to the mysterious woman, Laura and Carmilla form a close friendship – wrought with inference of mutual sexual ideation and attraction and, ultimately, Carmilla acting as predator not only to Laura, but to other women in the nearby village. Predating Bram Stoker’s Dracula by twenty-five years, and acting partially as an influence upon it, Carmilla is an important and prominent example of the femme fatale archetype in a classic literary setting. 

A key element of the story of Carmilla is the sexual relationship formed between Carmilla and Laura. Le Fanu writes of the “love growing into adoration” shared between the two women, with frequently occurring moments of intimacy tinged with sexual tension, in which Le Fanu describes Carmilla as holding Laura’s hand, and staring into her eyes with “languid and burning eyes”, whilst “breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration”, suggesting an increase in breath akin to that which may be experienced during sexual arousal. Le Fanu is even so candid as to describe Carmilla’s reaction to Laura as being like “the ardor of a lover”, punctuated with the description of “[Carmilla’s] hot lips” as they “traveled along [Laura’s] cheek in kisses”, while Carmilla claims that Laura is ‘hers’, and that the two are “one forever.” With such blatant descriptions of female sexuality, and the inclination of desire for another woman, it could be perceived that Le Fanu’s Carmilla is an early example of lesbian representation – however, both the context of the novel’s conception, and the narrative clues suggest that Le Fanu’s Carmilla was intended to portray the negative aspects of sexuality, rather than that which may be progressive.  

A key feature of the nature of Carmilla’s predatory behaviour, is the fact that she is written to have stalked Laura from a young age. In the first chapter of the novel, Laura discusses seeing a “solemn but very pretty face” in her childhood nursery with her. While Carmilla manages to soothe the fearful child, Laura soon feels “two needles [run] into [her] breast” – later revealed to be the sensation of the vampire attacking her. This early childhood encounter reflects the sentiments discussed in Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom, referring to the existence of sexual urges within children, and a divergence from the pre-conceived notion of children as wholly innocent. Within this first encounter, Laura not only identifies Carmilla as attractive, but upon being “caressed” by the vampire, she is soothed and comforted. Referring to the aforementioned allegory of the vampire’s bite as not only possessive, but sexual in nature, the idea of Carmilla biting the infant Laura’s breast, specifically, alludes to a sexual act performed between the two – exacerbated by the later sexual relationship shared by the pair, suggesting that the child had been somehow ‘corrupted’ by Carmilla’s possessive bite. Interestingly, the idea of Carmilla calming the frightened child before attacking her provides an image not dissimilar to that of a mother– emphasised by Laura’s lack of a maternal figure other than the nurses employed to take care of her. Similar to those themes discussed in the first chapter of this paper, this encounter alludes to the sexualisation of the comforting mother figure, and may too explain Laura’s later fascination with the vampire. Promoting this fact further, is the vaguely incestuous implications of the story. It is revealed in due course that Carmilla and Laura come from the same familial line of ‘Karnsteins’ – a tie which is found through Laura’s mother, and which serves as the apparent motive behind Carmilla’s attack. This not only perpetuates the concept of the corruption of the mother figure – for it is through the mother’s line which Laura meets that which will corrupt her – but also adds a layer of depravity to the story by means of alluding to incestuous relations.

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