Chapter 2: Psychological Repression and Philosophical Dualism in Carmilla: A Thematic Analysis

Le Fanu’s Carmilla has greatly impacted the Gothic literary world. A tale from the Victorian era emphasising the struggles of women, especially related to their identity, created a long-lasting impact. Carmilla’s and Laura’s narratives showcase the different sides of the Gothic, intervening in what it is like to be the one when there is no one to rely on, and when someone is with you, it is a tale of Gothic romance. Le Fanu’s vampire (Carmilla) is not a prototypical example of a vampire; it is a play on the Victorian moral woman, dismantling the notion of an archetypal woman that has been portrayed by Patmore in “The Angel of the House.” As a lesbian vampire, Carmilla’s nature talks about the repressive self and her dualistic being in Styria, often the subject of being under the male gaze; her presence in the life of young women marks the start and the end of a romantic relationship, which creates the environment of eeriness and the upliftment of the ongoing curse of the trio. The good vs evil, which always has been the main moralistic point in several cultures, also marks an induction in Carmilla, but forces the reader to look at the main aspect which makes Carmilla, Carmilla. Through the lens of Freud and Gustave, the idea is to answer the question of why both Carmilla and Laura are repressed, and another question is to look at the dualistic trait through the lens of the Mind-Body problem by René Descartes, also known as Cartesian Dualism.