Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's classic vampire story, Carmilla, predated Bram Stoker's Dracula by a quarter of a century. However, its significance goes far beyond being the female precursor to the famous Count of Transylvania. The scandalous and daring relationship between its protagonists, Laura and Carmilla, remains surprising today. Carmilla is Le Fanu's classic vampire and precedes Stoker's Dracula by twenty-five years. Its literary value extends well beyond Transylvanian lore. Nearly two centuries after its inception, the relationship between Laura and Carmilla continues to surprise readers.