Découvrez "Carmilla", un bijou de la littérature anglaise, en VO. Grâce aux traductions en marge, immergez-vous dans ce roman fantastique, hanté par des vampires. Un dossier pédagogique vous aidera à percer tous les secrets de cet incroyable roman.
Découvrez un classique du roman gothique, par l'auteur qui a inspiré Bram Stocker." Je n'ai jamais vu site plus original et plus beau que cette ravissante petite ville de Golden Friars. Elle se dresse sur le rivage de son lac, dominée par un amphithéâtre de montagnes toutes gercées de ravines et couleur de pourpre opulente. "
Certes, tel et bien l'aspect que Golden Friars présente, au premier abord, au visiteur. Mais au bord du lac se dresse le sinistre château des Mardykes et le légende qui se rattache au lac n'est guère plus engageante. on raconte que la jeune et jolie, mais malheureuse, Mary Feltram y aurait été noyée, en même temps que son petit enfant et que, en certaines fins d'après-midi, des pêcheurs l'ont vue, dans le soleil couchant, élever son buste hors du lac, dressant son enfant à bout de bras au-dessus de sa tête. Aussi, lorsque le hobereau du village, sir Bale Marykes, ruiné, revient, bien à contrecoeur, habiter son château, il évite soigneusement de s'aventurer sur le lac. Car il craint la vengeance du fantôme de Mary dont un Mardykes semble avoir été le bourreau. Il faudra que Philp Feltram, le dernier descendant de Mary, lui fournisse la "chance" d'un étrange pacte par lequel redevenir riche, pour qu'il ose la traversée du lac maudit... Mais l'or, lui aussi , est maudit...
Lady Margaret est une jeune fille orpheline de mère. À la mort de son père fortuné, elle est placée chez son oncle et tuteur, le sinistre sir Arthur Tyrrell, qui a une réputation de meurtrier. À son arrivée dans sa nouvelle demeure, retirée, elle se lie immédiatement d'amitié avec sa cousine Emily. En revanche, elle ne cessera de nourrir méfiance et répulsion à l'égard de son cousin Edward, individu détestable qui cherche à la contraindre au mariage. Elle soupçonne qu'on en veut à son héritage. On veut la tuer...
Comment ma cousine a été assassinée (1838) est la première nouvelle de Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873), écrivain irlandais des plus populaires à l'époque victorienne - avec Oncle Silas, Carmilla... Dans la tradition du roman gothique, l'auteur personnifie le diable sous les traits de l'oncle, persécuteur qui se cache sous le masque de la vertu. Il met en place un suspense, en passe de devenir un classique.
In the eerie depths of Bartram-Haugh, a young woman named Maud Ruthyn finds herself ensnared in a web of deceit and danger. Her enigmatic uncle, Silas Ruthyn, arrives at the estate, casting a sinister shadow over her life. As Maud delves into the family's dark past, she uncovers a chilling secret that threatens to consume her. With each passing day, the lines between reality and illusion blur, and Maud must confront the terrifying truth that lurks within the walls of Bartram-Haugh.
Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 3 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 14 minutes
The book is about the novella "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu, which is a prototypical example of the lesbian vampire genre. The story is narrated by Laura, a teenage girl who lives with her father in a castle in Styria. Laura's father receives a letter from his friend, General Spielsdorf, informing him of the mysterious death of his niece, Bertha Rheinfeldt. Laura and the General investigate the matter and encounter a beautiful young woman named Carmilla, who is revealed to be a vampire. The story explores themes of female empowerment, dualism, and sexuality. "Carmilla" has inspired numerous adaptations in various media, including literature, music, film, and television. The novella has been re-imagined, retold, and referenced in many works of fiction. The character of Carmilla has become an iconic figure in popular culture.
The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole
The History of Caliph Vathek - William Beckford
The Mysteries of Udolpho - Ann Radcliffe
Caleb Williams - William Godwin
Wieland: or, The Transformation - Charles Brockden Brown
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Melmoth the Wanderer (Lock and Key Version) - Charles Robert Maturin
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner - James Hogg
St. John's Eve - Nikolai Gogol
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo
The Queen of Spades - Alexander Pushkin
Berenice - Edgar Allan Poe
Young Goodman Brown - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Nose - Nikolai Gogol
The Minister's Black Veil - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Ligeia - E. A. Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher - E. A. Poe
The Masque of the Red Death - E. A. Poe
The Oval Portrait - E. A. Poe
The Pit and the Pendulum - E. A. Poe
The Black Cat - E. A. Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart - E. A. Poe
Rappaccini's Daughter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Double - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
Varney the Vampire - James Malcom Rymer
Villette - Charlotte Brontë
The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Uncle Silas - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens
The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Damned (Là-bas) - Joris-Karl Huysmans
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Trilby - George du Maurier
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Beetle - Richard Marsh
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James
The Real Thing - Henry James
The House on the Borderland - William Hope Hodgson
The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
The Lair of the White Worm - Bram Stoker
The Outsider - Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Three Gothic Novels is a compelling collection that brings together three quintessential works of Gothic literature: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Each novel delves into the macabre and the supernatural, exploring themes of fear, horror, and the unknown, while also probing deeper questions about humanity, morality, and the boundaries of science and nature.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley tells the haunting tale of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who defies natural laws to create life, only to be horrified by the monstrous being he brings into existence. This groundbreaking novel is not just a horror story but also a profound exploration of ambition, responsibility, and the ethical limits of scientific exploration. Shelley's intricate narrative raises enduring questions about creation, isolation, and the human condition.
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla introduces readers to one of literature's first female vampires. Set in a remote Austrian estate, the novella follows the mysterious and alluring Carmilla as she ingratiates herself into the lives of the residents, particularly the young and innocent Laura. Through its atmospheric storytelling and psychological complexity, Carmilla explores themes of predation, sexuality, and the supernatural, laying the groundwork for many modern vampire tales.
Bram Stoker's Dracula is perhaps the most iconic vampire story ever written. The novel chronicles the efforts of Count Dracula to move from Transylvania to England, where he seeks to spread the undead curse. Through the diaries and letters of characters like Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, and Dr. Van Helsing, Stoker weaves a gripping narrative of suspense, horror, and the battle between good and evil. Dracula is a richly layered novel that delves into Victorian anxieties about sexuality, immigration, and the limits of modernity.
Together, these three novels represent the pinnacle of Gothic fiction, each contributing to the genre's development and enduring popularity. Three Gothic Novels is an essential collection for anyone interested in the roots of horror and the exploration of the dark and mysterious aspects of the human psyche.
Contents:
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Sheridan Le Fanu: Carmilla
Bram Stoker: Dracula
