Carmilla (1871)

Predating Dracula by a quarter-century, Le Fanu's Gothic novella establishes the foundational link between appetite and erotic entanglement. Carmilla's parasitic desire is articulated through the language of languor, sweet exhaustion and hypnotic adoration, collapsing the boundary between romantic infatuation and physical depletion. Her young victim Laura feels the draining of her vitality as an intoxicating intimacy, revealing how hunger can be disguised as affection within an isolated aristocratic household. It remains a masterclass in portraying consumption as an overwhelming, claustrophobic romance.