In a glass darkly

This collection presents five cases from the papers of Dr. Martin Hesselius, a physician who treats ailments where the physical realm and the supernatural intersect. In Green Tea, a clergyman suffers from the persistent presence of a spectral monkey invited by excessive caffeine consumption. The Familiar tracks a sea captain followed by a vengeful spirit from his past, while Mr. Justice Harbottle features a hanging judge confronted by his own victims. Carmilla provides the most notable entry, depicting a female vampire who preys upon a young woman in an Austrian castle through a mix of psychological manipulation and ancient superstition.

Readers of gothic fiction and early supernatural horror find here an early bridge between folklore and psychological medical theory. It attracts those interested in the transition from traditional ghost stories to internal hauntings where the mind and the spirit realm are indistinguishable. The audience gains a detailed look at the Victorian preoccupation with repressed guilt and the fear of intrusive entities. By the final page, the reader understands how Le Fanu used the concept of the inner eye to justify the appearance of monsters in a modern, rational world.