FROM PAGES TO SCREEN: the lesbian vampire in Carmilla (1872) and its adaptation (2014-2016)

Abstract

The present article analyzes the Gothic novella Carmilla (1872), focusing on the title character and her importance as a precursor of the “lesbian vampire” trope in fiction. It then compares the representation of Carmilla in the original work with that portrayed in the web series of the same name (2014-2016), highlighting similarities and differences between the two versions. The textual analysis was based on readings on gothic fiction, queer literature, theories of adaptation and close observation of the audiovisual and narrative elements of the contemporary adaptation. In this context, a transformation is observed in the character's representation along the time: from a predatory and evil vampire, a figure associated with male fears about the female empowerment, as affirmed by Wisker (2000), to a positive symbol of female sexuality and lesbian and bisexual representation, as evidenced in the web series.