Homosexuality has been looked down upon for centuries. Even today, homosexuality is considered a taboo in many societies and religions. What’s even more looked down upon in many societies and religions is lesbianism. In the 19th century, it was unthinkable to consider women to even work outside of their homes, therefore, women being emotionally and sexually attached to each other was downright ignominy. In the 19th century, what Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu presents in his Victorian gothic story, “Carmilla”, not only challenges typical Victorian gothic, but also actually breaks a barrier in society where lesbianism is considered a taboo. In “Carmilla”, Le Fanu challenges three important things: traditional vampire traits, role of women, and religion, and he utilizes these to ultimately break the barrier in society for lesbianism in the 19th century. …show more content…
However, what Le Fanu depicts in this story goes deeper than the reader’s initial thoughts. Le Fanu is a genius for veiling the true meaning of this story by presenting it as a vampire story, because writing it as a vampire story prevents the reader from feeling overwhelmed by the ideas of its reality. His main purpose in writing this story was to definitely challenge a society who is very afraid of change or to be questioned. According to Sheri R. Wohl, “Carmilla” is “Frightening for more than the monsters that inhabit the tales. They are frightening because they reflect much truth in both society and human behavior that persist through generations and centuries” (50). What Wohl is conveying is that “Carmilla” is not terrifying because it’s a horror story, but it’s terrifying because Le Fanu veils society’s reality through