Carmilla is an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It is one of the earliest known works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. First published as a serial in The Dark Blue, the story is narrated by a young woman who is preyed upon by a female vampire named "Carmilla". The titular character is the prototypical example of the fictional lesbian vampire.