This early work by Sheridan Le Fanu was originally published in 1863. Born in Dublin in 1814, he came from a literary family of Huguenot origins; both his grandmother Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu and his great-uncle Richard Brinsley Sheridan were playwrights,

The Room in the Dragon Volant is a novel By Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, first published in 1872. It is a gothic mystery story about a wealthy young Englishman named Richard Beckett, who is asked to help the Count de St Alyre and his younger beautiful wife, the Countess de St Alyre, with some affair and gets in an exciting train of adventures with an unexpected finale.

Amidst the turbulent backdrop of post-Napoleonic France, Richard Beckett, an Englishman, finds himself embroiled in the affairs of a mysterious countess and her enigmatic chambermaid. Drawn to the allure of forbidden love and hidden secrets, Beckett’s journey leads him to the foreboding Dragon Volant inn, where he discovers that nothing is as it seems and that even the walls hold dark and sinister secrets. JOSEPH SHERIDAN LE FANU [1814-1873] was an Irish mystery and horror author. He had an enormous influence on the horror genre in the 19th and 20th century, especially through his championing of tone and effect rather than shock factor. Among his most noted work is the lesbian vampire novella Carmilla [1872] and mystery Uncle Silas [1864].

Word was the hotel -- the Dragon Volant -- was haunted. Worse yet, Richard Beckett had taken lodging in the very room that gave the hotel its curious reputation.

The curious case which I am about to place before you, is referred to, very pointedly, and more than once, in the extraordinary Essay upon the Drug of the Dark and the Middle Ages, from the pen of Doctor Hesselius.This Essay he entitles Mortis Imago, and he, therein, discusses theVinum letiferum, the Beatifica, the Somnus Angelorum, the Hypnus Sagarum, the Aqua Thessalliae, and about twenty other infusions and distillations, well known to the sages of eight hundred years ago, and two of which are still, he alleges, known to the fraternity of thieves, and, among them, as police-office inquiries sometimes disclose to this day, in practical use. The Essay, Mortis Imago, will occupy, as nearly as I can at present calculate, two volumes, the ninth and tenth, of the collected papers of Dr. Martin Hesselius. This Essay, I may remark in conclusion, is very curiously enriched by citations, in great abundance, from medieval verse and prose romance, some of the most valuable of which, strange to say, are Egyptian. I have selected this particular statement from among many cases equally striking, but hardly, I think, so effective as mere narratives; in this irregular form of publication, it is simply as a story that I present it.

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814 –1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic novels, one of the most infl uential ghost story writers of the nineteenth century. Filled with mystery and gothic horror elements, “The Room in the Dragon Volant” takes place in post-Napoleonic Wars France. Young Englishman Richard Beckett falls in love with the mysterious Countess. To be closer to her, he takes a room in the “Dragon Volant” inn, which has a rather nasty reputation.

The Room in the Dragon Volant by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: This Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu is a classic of Victorian horror fiction. Set in 19th-century France, it weaves a tale of mystery, intrigue, and the supernatural as the protagonist, Richard Beckett, encounters a series of enigmatic events in a remote inn. Key Aspects of the Novella "The Room in the Dragon Volant": Gothic Atmosphere: The novella immerses readers in a dark and eerie Gothic atmosphere, complete with mysterious occurrences and a sense of impending dread. Supernatural Elements: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu incorporates supernatural elements and unexplained phenomena, adding to the sense of mystery and suspense. Psychological Tension: "The Room in the Dragon Volant" explores the psychological turmoil of its protagonist as he grapples with the inexplicable events unfolding around him. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer known for his contributions to Gothic and supernatural literature. He was a master of creating atmospheric and chilling tales, and "The Room in the Dragon Volant" is a testament to his skill in the genre.