“You will think me cruel, very selfish, but love is always selfish; the more ardent the more selfish.” Noted as the first vampire novel, this late 19th century Gothic romance takes place in Austria, following a girl who lives in solitude but is visited by a beautiful, unexpected guest. Imbued with sexual tension, Carmilla blurs the lines between love and death. The book touches on common issues during the Victorian era, including the rise of the middle class and social and industrial reform. The novel was inspired by the poem ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, which tells the tale of a fairy who seduces men into a life of misery and passion. Carmilla is best known as being the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula .