Perhaps no other writer in the history of English fiction so completely mastered the technique of creating an atmosphere of unrelieved suspense and terror as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-73). This is surely evident in all of his supernatural fiction: such superb examples of the English ghost story as "Carmilla," "The Haunted Baronet," "Squire Toby's Will," and others (many available in Dover's Best Ghost Stories of J. S. Le Fanu). But nowhere is Le Fanu's success as great as in Uncle Silas. Death prowls the 400-odd pages of this book — in Maud Ruthyn, her father Austin, the grotesque Madame de la Rougierre, in the shadowy suspicion that surrounds Uncle Silas, in the chilly atmosphere at Knowl and the even more haunting terror pervading Bartram-Haugh, in the gloomy night thoughts and somber reflections about death that occur and reoccur. With consummate skill, Le Fanu has truly captured the secret fears and dreads that grip us all. One of a half dozen or so nineteenth-century novels still read for pleasure rather than as a school exercise, Uncle Silas is the Victorian mystery story par excellence, displaying both Le Fanu's considerable narrative ability and his emotional power. It has remained in print since its first appearance in 1864, has been translated into several languages, and has been filmed in England as The Inheritor. Its longevity and perennial appeal are both well established and well deserved, for as Frederick Shroyer says in his Introduction, "It is one of the most effective, gripping novels of terror … ever written. Today, as in the past, Uncle Silas continues to serve diabolically well to chill the reader's psychic bones." Despite its continuous popularity, Uncle Silas has of late been virtually unobtainable in America. Now republished by Dover, this chilling Victorian novel will be a welcome treat for all Le Fanu admirers, mystery fans, English majors, and every reader who enjoys a well-told tale.

Uncle Silas

Literature & Fiction

LeFanu, J. Sheridan

Literary

Dover Publications

Regarded as the Victorian era's greatest writer of ghost stories, J. Sheridan LeFanu (1814-73) gave expression to the fears and dread that often haunt sensitive individuals. This collection contains four of his finest ghost stories, each crafted with remarkable ingenuity and storytelling skill. The title story offers a petrifying account of an English cleric's bouts with a malignant spectral presence; "Squire Toby's Will" recounts a sibling rivalry and disputed inheritance; "The Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh" concerns a country gentleman's mysterious relationship with a sinister valet; and "Sir Dominick's Bargain" presents LeFanu's masterly variation on the theme of a pact with the devil. All four tales embody not only the suspense and terror expected of a ghost story but also a subtlety, awareness, and psychological depth that elevate them far above most efforts in the genre. This inexpensive edition provides gripping entertainment as well as an excellent introduction to the intelligence and imagination that characterize LeFanu's work.

Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)

Contemporary

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814 -1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the premier ghost story writer of the nineteenth century. In his stories the supernatural explanation is implied, but there is always a remote but possible natural explanation. Carmilla is the story of a vampire, illustrating the victory of superstition over logic.

Carmilla

Book Jungle

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. The story is presented by Le Fanu as part of the casebook of Dr. Hesselius, whose departures from medical orthodoxy rank him as the first occult doctor in literature. The story is narrated by Laura, one of the two main protagonists of the tale. Laura begins her tale by relating her childhood in a "picturesque and solitary" castle in the midst of an extensive forest in Styria, where she lives with her father, a wealthy English widower, retired from the Austrian Service. When she was six years old, Laura had a vision of a beautiful visitor in her bedchamber. She later claims to have been bitten on the chest, although no wounds are found on her. 12 years later, Laura and her father are admiring the sunset in front of the castle when her father tells her of a letter he received earlier from his friend, General Spielsdorf. The General was supposed to bring his niece, Bertha Rheinfeldt, to visit the two, but the niece suddenly died under mysterious circumstances.

Genre Fiction

Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. First published in 1872, Carmilla is one of the classics of the Vampire genre. The novella is one of five tales of the supernatural that is published under the name of “In a Glass Darkly”. Carmilla is the only vampire story in the collection. Carmilla tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla. There is a strong lesbian element in the relation of the Carmilla and laura, something very rare in the 19º century literature. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years, and influenced Bram Stoker´s Dracula.

Carmilla (Annotated)

It tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 26 years, and has been adapted many times for cinema.

Carmilla: The Dark Blue (Vampires Dracula and Carmilla)

This Gothic novella tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years, and has been adapted many times for cinema. Although Carmilla is a lesser known and far shorter Gothic vampire story than the generally-considered master work of that genre, Dracula, the latter is heavily influenced by Le Fanu's short story.

SMK Books

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Books by LeFanu, J. Sheridan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by LeFanu, J. Sheridan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Uncle Silas

Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories (Dover Thrift Editions)

Carmilla

Carmilla

Carmilla

Carmilla (Annotated)

Carmilla

Carmilla: The Dark Blue (Vampires Dracula and Carmilla)

Carmilla

Carmilla