Sheridan Le Fanu (1814–1873)
Author of Carmilla: A Vampyre Tale
About the Author
The greatest author of supernatural fiction during the nineteenth century was undoubtedly J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Le Fanu was born in Dublin and, as with so many other English popular fiction authors of his time, entered the genre of fiction by way of journalism, working on such publications as the show more Evening Mail and the Dublin University Magazine. Le Fanu came from a middle-class background; his family was of Huguenot descent. He graduated from Trinity College and married in 1844. After his wife died in 1858, until his own death, Le Fanu was known as a recluse, creating his ghost fiction late at night in bed. Probably he began writing ghost fiction in 1838; his earliest supernatural story is often cited as being either "The Ghost and the Bone-Setter" or the "Fortunes of Sir Robert Ardagh," both of which were later collected in the anthology entitled The Purcell Papers (1880). Writing most effectively in the short story form, Le Fanu's tales such as "Carmilla" (a vampire story that is thought possibly to have influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula) and the problematic "Green Tea" are considered by many literary scholars to be classics of the supernatural genre. His lengthy Gothic novels, such as Uncle Silas (1864), though less highly regarded than his shorter fiction, are nonetheless wonderfully atmospheric. Le Fanu's particular brand of literary horror tends toward the refined, subtle fright rather than the graphic sensationalism of Matthew Gregory Lewis. His work influenced other prominent horror fiction authors, including M. R. James. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Sheridan Le Fanu
Three Vampire Tales: Dracula, Carmilla, and The Vampyre (New Riverside Editions) (1993) 109 copies, 2 reviews
Two Ghostly Mysteries A Chapter in the History of a Tyrone Family; and the Murdered Cousin (2006) 12 copies
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Volume 1-Including Two Novels, 'The Haunted… (2010) 9 copies
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Volume 3-Including One Novel 'The House by the… (2010) 6 copies
La habitación del Dragón Volador: Y otros cuentos de terror y misterio (Gótica) (Spanish Edition) (2015) 6 copies
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan le Fanu: Volume 2-Including One Novel, 'Uncle… (2010) 6 copies
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Volume 5-Including One Novel, 'The Rose and… (2010) 5 copies
Bibliotheca Dracula. 9 Romane in 3 Bänden: Frankenstein - Dracula - Im Haus des Grafen Dracula - Melmoth - Der… (1978) 5 copies
Carmilla And Other Gothic Tales By Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu | Illustrated | Oversized Edition 5 copies
Különös históriák 4 copies
Carmilla. A Vampira de Karnstein - Colecao Classicos da Literatura Universal (Em Portugues do Brasil) (2018) 4 copies
My Aunt Margaret's Adventure 4 copies
The Best Victorian Ghost Stories: Annotated and Illustrated Tales of Murder, Mystery, Horror, and Hauntings (Oldstyle… (2014) 4 copies, 1 review
Carmilla. Based on the Story by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (Penguin Active Reading (Graded Readers)) (2011) 4 copies
Les créatures du miroir 3 copies
Squire Toby's Will 3 copies
Sir Dominick's Bargain 3 copies
A Little Fuchsia Book of Fears 2 copies
Carmilla, Green Tea, and Other Horrors: The Best Ghost Stories and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan Le Fanu (Oldstyle Tales… (2016) 2 copies
Dom przy cmentarzu 2 copies
70 SUPERNATURAL TALES OF GOTHIC HORROR: Uncle Silas, Carmilla, In a Glass Darkly, Madam Crowl's Ghost, The House by the… (2017) 2 copies
Carmilla y otros relatos de terror (Selección clásicos universales) (Spanish Edition) (2017) 2 copies
LibriVox Ghost Story Collection 001 2 copies
Carmilla: WITH Passage in the Secret History of an Irish Countess AND Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter (1872) 2 copies
Storie di fantasmi mozzafiato 2 copies
Historias de horror = Horror stories / Sheridan Le Fanu ; traducción, Benjamin Briggent (2018) 1 copy
Schalken il pittore 1 copy
Tè verde. Tre racconti 1 copy
Guy Deverell v2 1 copy
The rose and the key 1 copy
Dom przy cmentarzu Tom II 1 copy
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu | Collection of Short Stories: 31 Ghost and Gothic Stories including Carmilla, Green Tea and… (2023) 1 copy
In a Glass Darkly, Vol. 1 1 copy
Guy Deverell v1 1 copy
The ghost and the bone-setter El fantasma y el ensalmador ; The drunkard's dream = El sueño del bebedor :… (2007) 1 copy
Dom przy cmentarzu, Tom I 1 copy
In einem dunklen Spiegel 1 copy
Stryj Silas 1 copy
Nun vidro misterioso, vol. 2: O familiar, O xuíz Harbotte e Carmilla, unha historia de vampiros (2009) 1 copy
In a Glass Darkly, v. 2/3 1 copy
O Vampiro de Karnstein 1 copy
Uncle Silas 1 copy
The Prelude 1 copy
世界恐怖小說選 卷一: 怪誕懸疑的世界恐怖經典 1 copy
The Wyvern Mystery 1 copy
El tio Silas 1 copy
El tío Silas 1 copy
Cuentos de fantasmas 1 copy
Cuentos de terror (Joseph Leridan Le Fanu, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Guy de Maupassant, Bram Stoker). (1999) 1 copy
CARMILLA (Gothic Classic): Featuring First Female Vampire - Mysterious and Compelling Tale that Influenced Bram… (2018) 1 copy
El Tío Silas 1 copy
Guy Deverell Volume III 1 copy
Un oscuro scrutare 1 copy
The Vampire Collection 1 copy
L'inseguitore 1 copy
Carmilla & O Juiz Harbottle 1 copy
Associated Works
Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural: A Treasury of Spellbinding Tales Old & New (1985) — Contributor — 542 copies, 3 reviews
Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (1994) — Contributor — 456 copies, 1 review
Devils & Demons: A Treasury of Fiendish Tales Old & New (1991) — Contributor — 269 copies, 2 reviews
The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural (1981) — Contributor — 202 copies, 3 reviews
The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published (2009) — Contributor — 190 copies, 5 reviews
Victorian Tales of Mystery and Detection: An Oxford Anthology (1991) — Contributor — 176 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories (1995) — Contributor — 170 copies, 4 reviews
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (2010) — Contributor — 155 copies, 4 reviews
A Clutch of Vampires: These Being Among the Best from History and Literature (1929) — Contributor — 103 copies, 2 reviews
The Book of Irish Weirdness: A Treasury of Classic Tales of the Supernatural, Spooky and Strange (1997) — Contributor — 98 copies, 1 review
In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe: Classic Tales of Horror, 1816-1914 (2015) — Contributor — 91 copies, 1 review
Great British Tales of Terror: Gothic Stories of Horror and Romance 1765-1840 (1972) — Contributor — 82 copies
Chamber of Horrors: Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (1984) — Contributor — 66 copies, 1 review
The world of law; a treasury of great writing about and in the law, short stories, plays, essays, accounts, letters,… (1960) — Contributor — 52 copies
Fearsome Fairies: Haunting Tales of the Fae (British Library Hardback Classics) (2022) — Contributor — 48 copies
Horror Stories: Classic Tales from Hoffmann to Hodgson (Oxford World's Classics) (2014) — Contributor — 46 copies, 1 review
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...Nightmare: 30 Terrifying Tales (1993) — Contributor — 45 copies, 1 review
The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the Stories That Started It All (2014) — Contributor — 44 copies
Irish Ghost Stories (Tales of Mystery & The Supernatural) (2011) — Contributor — 37 copies, 1 review
Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema (Updated & Fully Revised Edition) (1986) — Contributor — 37 copies
Great Ghost Stories: 34 Classic Tales of the Supernatural (2002) — Contributor; Contributor — 27 copies, 1 review
The Weiser Book of Occult Detectives: 13 Stories of Supernatural Sleuthing (2017) — Contributor — 23 copies, 1 review
Isaac Asimov presents the best horror and supernatural of the 19th century (1983) — Contributor — 15 copies, 1 review
Bewitched Beings: Phantoms, Familiars, and the Possessed in Stories from Two Centuries (1974) — Contributor — 14 copies, 1 review
Masters of the Macabre: An Anthology of Mystery, Horror, and Detection (1975) — Contributor — 13 copies
Children of the Night: Stories of Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, and Lost Children (The Children of the Night) (1999) — Contributor — 12 copies
Masters of Shades and Shadows: An Anthology of Great Ghost Stories (1978) — Contributor — 11 copies, 1 review
Great Classic Hauntings: Six Unabridged Stories (Audio Editions Mystery Masters) (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 11 copies, 2 reviews
Tales of the Undead: Vampires and Visitants (1947) — Contributor, some editions — 9 copies, 1 review
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction January 1957, Vol. 12, No. 1 (1957) — Contributor — 9 copies, 1 review
The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (Annotated): Volume 10 (2018) — Contributor — 3 copies
Weird Tales Volume 22 Number 1, July 1933 — Contributor — 3 copies
The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (Annotated): Volume 20 (2021) — Contributor — 2 copies
Reading & Training : Stories of ghosts and mystery [book + sound recording] (2008) — Writer — 2 copies
English short stories of the nineteenth century — Contributor — 1 copy
Classic Crime Collection - 10 Books RRP£70.91 (Lady Audley's Secret, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Raffles, Bleak… — Contributor — 1 copy
LibriVox Short Ghost and Horror Collection 035 — Contributor — 1 copy
Vampire und Untote. Eine Anthologie von Vampir-Geschichten — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Le Fanu, Sheridan
- Legal name
- Le Fanu, Joseph Thomas Sheridan
- Other names
- Le Fanu, J. S.
- Birthdate
- 1814-08-28
- Date of death
- 1873-02-07
- Burial location
- Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- Ireland
- Birthplace
- Dublin, Ireland
- Place of death
- Dublin, Ireland
- Cause of death
- heart attack
- Places of residence
- Dublin, Ireland
- Education
- Trinity College, Dublin (law)
- Occupations
- short-story writer
novelist
lawyer
journalist - Relationships
- Broughton, Rhoda (niece)
Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (great-uncle)
Sheridan, Frances (great-grandmother)
Lefanu, Alicia Sheridan (grandmother)
Sheridan, Betsy (great-aunt)
Norton, Caroline (second cousin) (show all 7)
Blackwood, Helen Selina Sheridan (second cousin) - Organizations
- Irish Bar (1839)
Members
Discussions
THE DEEP ONES: "Laura Silver Bell" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu in The Weird Tradition (April 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Child That Went with the Fairies" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu in The Weird Tradition (January 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "Green Tea" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu in The Weird Tradition (March 2022)
Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla in Gothic Literature (February 2019)
Reading Group #6: 'Green Tea' in Gothic Literature (December 2018)
THE DEEP ONES: "Carmilla" by J. Sheridan Le Fanu in The Weird Tradition (June 2017)
Reviews
Checkmate by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
What a layered and complex drama! . . .and how strange it seems, objectively, how little a murder committed very nearly on the page early on features in the following twists and turns, almost as though quite fallen out of mind of those affected by the investigation. Within the narrative, however, it is quite sensible how the focus turns to other things, more pressing and immediate, and how well wrapped up even more disparate threads eventually became all together by the end - and for such a slow-paced novel, how rapidly that very last peak of drama seemed to occur.… (more)
½
Lists
Overdue Podcast (1)
1860s (1)
Five star books (1)
Lucy's Long List (1)
Victorian Period (1)
Out of Copyright (1)
Autumn books (1)
Irish writers (1)
Phoebe Bridgers (1)
Ghosts (2)
19th Century (2)
ScaredyKIT 2024 (1)
Romans (1)
Folio Society (1)
Favourite Books (1)
horror (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 283
- Also by
- 192
- Members
- 10,033
- Popularity
- #2,371
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 310
- ISBNs
- 995
- Languages
- 20
- Favorited
- 44
