edited with an introduction and notes by Greta Depledge The
Blood of the Vampire (1897) was rather overshadowed by a certain
Transylvanian Count who made his debut in the same year.
Although there are similarities with Dracula, Marryat’s vampire
is female and drains her victims’ life force, rather than their
blood. Harriet Brandt is the daughter of a mad scientist and a
mixed-race voodoo priestess. Brought up on her parents’ Jamaican
plantation, she is forced to flee to Europe after the slaves
revolt. Although everyone is initially attracted to Harriet,
people who get close to her seem to sicken and die. Marryat’s
“psychic vampire” represents both the racial “other” and the New
Woman of the period, both of whom were perceived as a threat to
fin-de-siècle society. This curious novel engages with key
debates, such as race, women’s rights, heredity, syphilophobia
and the occult. The text is based on the first edition, and
Marryat’s often erratic punctuation has been tamed. The edition
includes: - critical indrod