The Murdered Cousin

This is a novel written in a Gothic style and full of melodrama and mystery. It is told in the first person as though it were the actual recounting of the history of the Irish peerage. Le Fanu was an Irish author, a descendant of the playwright Ricard Brinsley Sheridan.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814–1873) was an Irish writer, celebrated for his contributions to the gothic genre and for pioneering the mystery and ghost story format. Though his name might not be as widely recognized as some of his contemporaries, his impact on horror literature and the supernatural is considerable. Le Fanu was born in Dublin to a literary family. His interest in the tales of the macabre and the occult were deeply influenced by his Huguenot and Irish ancestry, which furnished him with a rich well of history and folklore to draw upon in his writing.

Le Fanu's storytelling genius is exemplified in works such as 'Carmilla' (1872), which predated Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', influencing the vampire genre. His literary style is characterized by atmosphere, intricate plotting, and the use of psychological horror, rather than gore, to instill dread in the reader. 'The Murdered Cousin' (1851), a short story published in 'The Purcell Papers', is often considered one of the earliest locked-room mysteries and showcases Le Fanu's deft blend of mystery with gothic horror. Though his stories often unfolded in contemporary settings, their themes of haunting and the supernatural bridged the gap between folklore and the aesthetic of 19th-century literary gothic, earning Le Fanu the title of 'The Invisible Prince' of gothic literature. His influence is still felt today across various media, proving his enduring legacy in the pantheon of gothic literature.