A Forgotten Bisexual, Biracial Vampire Novel From 1897 Is Back on Shelves

Sapphic vampire lovers, rejoice! On Monday, Penguin Classics announced the release of Florence Marryat’s 1897 gothic novel The Blood of the Vampire as part of its revered literary collection. Calling Marryat a “forgotten legend of gothic horror,” Penguin Classics observed in its announcement that the book, now available for purchase, was published the same year as Dracula and features what it calls “one of the most revolutionary protagonists of her time: feminist psychic vampire Harriet Brandt.” See on Instagram While traditional vampire stories usually revolve around feasting on blood, Harriet Brandt feeds off of life force, per Penguin Classics. Brandt is also both canonically bisexual and biracial. In the novel, vampirism is a lineage within Brandt’s family, passed down after her maternal Creole grandmother is bitten by a vampire bat in Jamaica, according to an article in the journal Women’s Studies. “Harriet’s ostracization mirrors that of the author, Florence Marryat, whose thrilling plots about women eschewing the norms of Victorian womanhood were widely read during her time but reviled by critics and overlooked for more than a century,” Penguin Classics writes in its description of the book. “Recontextualizing Marryat’s place at the vanguard of Victorian horror, The Blood of the Vampire is a timeless critique of gender norms, racism, and medical discrimination—a fresh, century-old spin on the expanding canon of vampire fiction.” Avid readers reacted to Penguin Classics’ announcement with joy. “Oh i am OVERLY over here, tf!!!!!!!!,” one person wrote in the comments underneath the Instagram announcement. “Ok no need to absolutely floor me this Halloween jeeezz,” another person said. While most were excited to dive into the novel, at least one commenter said that they do not interpret the main character to be bisexual and said that book’s handling of race leaves a lot to be desired. “Well the vampire is not bisexual at a