Authors | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales, mystery novels, and horror fiction. He was a leading ghost story writer of his time, central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era ... Read more

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales, mystery novels, and horror fiction. He was a leading ghost story writer of his time, central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M. R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are the locked-room mystery Uncle Silas, the lesbian vampire novella Carmilla, and the historical novel The House by the Churchyard.

Le Fanu worked in many genres but remains best known for his horror fiction. He was a meticulous craftsman and frequently reworked plots and ideas from his earlier writing in subsequent pieces. Many of his novels, for example, are expansions and refinements of earlier short stories. He specialised in tone and effect rather than "shock horror" and liked to leave important details unexplained and mysterious. He avoided overt supernatural effects: in most of his major works, the supernatural is strongly implied but a "natural" explanation is also possible. The demonic monkey in Green Tea could be a delusion of the story's protagonist, who is the only person to see it; in The Familiar, Captain Barton's death seems to be supernatural, but is not actually witnessed, and the ghostly owl may be a real bird. This technique influenced later horror artists, both in print and on film (see, for example, the film producer Val Lewton's principle of "indirect horror"). Though other writers have since chosen less subtle techniques, Le Fanu's finest tales, such as the vampire novella Carmilla and the short story Schalken the Painter, remain some of the most powerful in the genre. He had enormous influence on one of the 20th century's most important ghost story writers, M. R. James, and although his work fell out of favour in the early part of the 20th century, towards the end of the century interest in his work increased and remains comparatively strong.

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Books by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Book Of Doppelgangers

The Book Of Doppelgangers: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Guy Deverell; Volume 2

Guy Deverell; Volume 2: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Willing To Die: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan le Fanu: Volume 7-Including Two Novels, 'All in the Dark' and 'The Roo

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan le Fanu: Volume 7-Including Two Novels, 'All in the Dark' and 'The Roo: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan le Fanu: Volume 8-Including One Novel, 'a Lost Name, ' One Novelette,

The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of J. Sheridan le Fanu: Volume 8-Including One Novel, 'a Lost Name, ' One Novelette,: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Watcher and Other Weird Stories

The Watcher and Other Weird Stories: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Wyvern Mystery. A novel. VOL. III.

The Wyvern Mystery. A novel. VOL. III.: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Phaudrig Crohoore: An Irish Ballad for Chorus and Orchestra

Phaudrig Crohoore: An Irish Ballad for Chorus and Orchestra: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The House by the Church-Yard

The House by the Church-Yard: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Guy Deverell: A Novel

Guy Deverell: A Novel: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

A Stable For Nightmares; Or, Weird Tales

A Stable For Nightmares; Or, Weird Tales: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Mr. Justice Harbottle

Mr. Justice Harbottle: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Cock and Anchor: Being a Chronicle of Old Dublin City

The Cock and Anchor: Being a Chronicle of Old Dublin City: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales; Volume 3

J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales; Volume 3: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Purcell Papers; Volume 3

The Purcell Papers; Volume 3: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Room in the Dragon Volant

The Room in the Dragon Volant: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Green Tea And Other Strange Tales

Green Tea And Other Strange Tales: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Shamus O'brien. A Story Of Ireland A Hundred Years Ago. A Romantic Comic Opera In Two Acts; Founded On The Poem By J. S. Le Fanu.

Shamus O'brien. A Story Of Ireland A Hundred Years Ago. A Romantic Comic Opera In Two Acts; Founded On The Poem By J. S. Le Fanu.: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Uncle Silas: A Tale Of Bartram-haugh : In 2 Vols, Volume 2

Uncle Silas: A Tale Of Bartram-haugh : In 2 Vols, Volume 2: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 2

J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 2: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Dead Sexton (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

The Dead Sexton (Fantasy and Horror Classics): by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

A Chapter in the History of the Tyrone Family (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

A Chapter in the History of the Tyrone Family (Fantasy and Horror Classics): by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

LE BARON HANTE: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Murdered Cousin Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Murdered Cousin Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Phantom Fourth Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Phantom Fourth Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Quare Gander Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Quare Gander Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Secret of the Two Plaster Casts Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Secret of the Two Plaster Casts Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Vision of Tom Chuff Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Vision of Tom Chuff Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

The Watcher Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

The Watcher Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Ultor de Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author

Ultor de Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Author: by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu