Defining Ambiguous: Lesbianism and the Vampire in “Christabel” and Carmilla

Within vampire fiction, there exists a common narrative of a wide-eyed, innocent victim being pursued and then corrupted by a mysterious figure. At first glance, Samuel Taylor Coleridge\u27s poem Christabel (1816) and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu\u27s novella Carmilla (1872) seem to adhere to this narrative. Both works feature young women, Christabel in Christabel and Laura in Carmilla, being pursued by vampires: specifically, female vampires. However, it can be argued that the young women in Coleridge\u27s and Le Fanu\u27s works are not victims; rather, they are liberated agents acting independently in their sexual lives. An analysis of Christabel\u27s and Laura\u27s agency demonstrates that with their vampire companions, the women construct not predator-prey dynamics, but multifaceted lesbian relationships. While some may say labeling the relationships in Coleridge\u27s and Le Fanu\u27s tales as lesbian is anachronistic, a modern queer perspective will uncover fresh interpretations of these texts