“The Mysterious Stranger” 215

William both seize control of her life, consulting with a doctor who is mystified at
the cause of Emily’s weakened condition. Emily’s imprisonment at home makes
her realize that Martin represents the passion and fulfillment of desire that her fam-
ily and social class have denied her. When Charlotte, in whom Emily has confided,
informs Emily’s family members of Martin’s vampire nature and Emily’s romance
with him, they are appalled and thwart her efforts to leave the house or make her
own decisions concerning her life and welfare. With Emily’s assistance, Martin
“kills” Charlotte, transforming her into a vampire like himself. Emily runs away
with Martin briefly, but during one interval when she is separated from him, Char-
lotte seeks her out to inform her that Martin is in danger. Emily rushes to Martin’s
home and finds him pinioned between her father and William, who restrain him
until the dawn begins to break. Emily pleads with them to let him go free, but it is
too late, and Martin perishes in the sunlight. In shock, Emily flees to where Char-
lotte is buried and prepares to spend the rest of eternity with her vampire friend.
Russ’s story is notable for its use of the vampire theme to explore aspects of
female sexuality and feminine emancipation in the context of a male-dominated
society. Richly psychological in its study of Emily’s developing sense of her iden-
tity in a society resistant to female independence, it keeps the imagery of traditional
vampire fiction to a minimum. Russ revised the story significantly when it was
included in her short fiction collection The Zanzibar Cat (Arkham House, 1983),
deleting an early scene in which Emily tries to thwart Martin by brandishing a cru-
cifix only to discover that the cross is ineffective, either because her intellectualism
denies religious faith or because, in her heart, she may actually welcome Martin’s
attention. The revised story also ends differently, with Emily becoming Charlotte’s
prey rather than showing her intentionally choosing to spend the rest of her life with
a vampire rather than the human company she heretofore has known.
Stefan Dziemianowicz

“The Mysterious Stranger”

“The Mysterious Stranger,” an anonymous short story, first published in Cham-

bers’ Repository (October–December 1853) and reprinted in Odds and Ends
(1860), translated from the German and a notable precursor to Dracula.
The story follows a party of Austrian travelers, whose leader, the Knight of
Fahnenberg, has just inherited a considerable estate distantly located in the Carpathian
Mountains. Accompanying the Knight are Franziska, his daughter; Franziska’s
cousin and suitor, the Baron Franz von Kronstein; and Franziska’s female
companion, Bertha, whose “faithful admirer,” the lauded Knight of Woislaw, is off
216 “A Mystery of the Campagna”

fighting in a war in Turkey. Under the threat of torrential snow, the travelers hasten
their journey onwards. The danger quickly mounts as howling reed-wolves encircle
the party. Fearing an attack, the travelers approach the ruinous Castle Klatka,
which the locals consider haunted. The Knight, paying little heed to peasant supersti-
tions, leads the party there to seek refuge. But no sooner do the travelers reach the
path leading up to the ruins when the wolves initiate their assault. To everyone’s
astonishment, between the wolves and the party suddenly appears a tall man from
out of the shadow. This stranger, who in aspect is both knightly and old-fanshioned,
raises his hand to the wolves in a waving gesture, at which they halt their advance
then retreat into the surrounding trees. Stunned, the travelers watch as their rescuer,
saying nothing, returns to the path leading to the castle and disappears into the ruins.
Some days later, the travelers return to explore the ruins, among which they discover
the coffin of “Ezzelin de Klatka, Eques.” At sunset, suddenly appearing again out of
the ruins is the strange man as before. Calling himself Azzo von Klatka, the strange
man, like Dracula, is about forty years old, tall, thin, and pale, with piercing gray
eyes, black hair, and black beard. Franziska and the Knight invite their rescuer to visit
them at their neighboring estate. In time, Azzo makes frequent dinner visits; mean-
while, Franziska begins to show signs of anemia, complain of bad dreams, and bear
small punctures. Soon, the Knight of Woislaw arrives at the estate and, given his
extraordinary dealings abroad, he immediately suspects a vampire is ailing Franziska.
Woislaw therefore escorts Franziska back to Castle Klatka. Following Woislaw’s
instructions, Franziska drives three long spikes through the coffin lid of “Ezzelin de
Klatka,” while Woislaw stands outside reading prayers. Once the ritual is completed,
Franziska’s strange illness quickly diminishes, and visits from Azzo cease entirely.
There is little mistaking Bram Stoker’s “inspired borrowing,” as Leonard Wolf
puts it (The Annotated Dracula [Potter, 1975], 20n3). Indeed, numerous theatrical
and film adaptations of Dracula have bolstered more direct references to this story,
such as the “I never drink wine” line. In some cases, as in John Badham’s Dracula
(Universal, 1979), lines are lifted nearly word for word. Azzo (Dracula/Frank
Langella) says to Franziska (Lucy/Kate Nelligan), “If my company does not
please you at any time, you will have yourself to blame for an acquaintance with
one who seldom forces himself, but is difficult to shake off.”
John Edgar Browning

“A Mystery of the Campagna”

“A Mystery of the Campagna,” a novelette issued under the signature “Von

Degen” along with a companion-piece, “A Shadow on a Wave,” in T. Fisher
Unwin’s “Pseudonym Library” in 1891. The author was subsequently identified