In Chapter 1, Laura uses detailed visual imagery to describe the estate on which she grows up:
The road, very old and narrow, passes in front of its drawbridge, never raised in my time, and its moat, stocked with perch, and sailed over by many swans, and floating on its surface white fleets of water lilies. Over all this the schloss shows its many-windowed front; its towers, and its Gothic chapel. The forest opens in an irregular and very picturesque glade before its gate, and at the right a steep Gothic bridge carries the road over a stream that winds in deep shadow through the wood.
Laura vividly describes the landscape and surroundings, painting a picturesque scene that engages with the reader's sense of sight. The description of the drawbridge, moat, towers, and chapel adds to the setting's medieval aspect and Gothic atmosphere and helps the reader visualize the scene with clarity.
At the same time, the image of swans gliding on the moat and fish swimming conveys a serene, idyllic mood. Although Laura's description is visual, there is also an implicit suggestion of sound. The mention of the winding stream implies the presence of flowing water, which would likely produce a gentle, soothing sound. All in all, then, this passage creates a vague sense of foreboding with its description of the imposing Gothic architecture, and the contrast of the swans and water lilies atop the placid stream only serves to highlight this dark, mysterious mood.
The moon is a recurring element, or motif, in Carmilla. In literature, the moon is traditionally associated with mystery, transformation, and illumination. The moon often appears in this novella during scenes that occur at night, casting an eerie and mysterious light over the story's landscapes. The moon also enhances the setting's Gothic atmosphere, all in all contributing to the sense of foreboding and uncanniness that occurs all throughout the narrative.
The moon, with its many phases, often represents transformation and duality, as well. This duality is reflected in the contrasting, complex nature of Carmilla herself, who embodies both allure and danger. The moon's presence in the narrative underscores these dualities.
In Chapter 2, Laura describes Mademoiselle De Lafontaine's beliefs about the significance of the moon:
Mademoiselle De Lafontaine [...] now declared that when the moon shone with a light so intense it was well known that it indicated a special spiritual activity. The effect of the full moon in such a state of brilliancy was manifold. It acted on dreams, it acted on lunacy, it acted on nervous people, it had marvelous physical influences connected with life. Mademoiselle related that her cousin, with his face full in the light on the moon, had wakened, after a dream of an old woman clawing him by the cheek, with his features horribly drawn to one side; The moon, this night, she said, is full of idyllic and magnetic influence.
The image of the moon's luminosity suggests a powerful, almost ethereal quality. Mademoiselle De Lafontaine associates the moon with special spiritual activity, heightened emotional states, strange dreams, and increased mental instability.
The story Mademoiselle tells about her cousin and the image of an old woman clawing him on the cheek is striking and unsettling. The chilling, eerie image hints at the potentially transformative or disturbing effects of the moon's influence. In creating this image, Le Fanu also sets up Carmilla's mysterious appearance, which occurs soon after Mademoiselle makes her claims about the moon's powers.
The novella uses vivid visual imagery in Chapter 4 when Laura first describes the Hunchback:
He wore a pointed black beard, and he was smiling from ear to ear, showing his white fangs. He was dressed in buff, black, and scarlet, and crossed with more straps and belts than I could count, from which hung all manner of things. Behind, he carried a magic lantern, and two boxes [...] They were compounded of parts of monkeys, parrots, squirrels, fish, and hedgehogs, dried and stitched together with great neatness and startling effect. He had a fiddle, a box of conjuring apparatus, a pair of foils and masks attached to his belt, several other mysterious cases dangling about him, and a black staff with copper ferrules in his hand.
The image of the hunchback's "pointed black beard," "white fangs," and eccentric clothing is striking and strange. The detailed description of the hunchback's items also adds to the sense of strangeness. The objects are unusual and eerie, especially Laura's description of the "dried and stitched-together" animal parts. These items, as well as the magic lantern, create an aura of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural.
All in all, the inclusion of Hunchback in the narrative is in keeping with the Gothic elements of the novella. By including such a vivid description, Le Fanu paints an unforgettable image in the reader's mind while adding a sense of intrigue and mystery to the story.
