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Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture

Written by: Shannon Scott, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Shannon Scott
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Publisher's Summary

From the ancient world to contemporary popular culture, the wolf has held a special place in our storytelling and artistic traditions. What is it about wolves - and by extension, werewolves and animal shape-shifters - that we find alluring and frightening in equal measure? What does the wolf represent? Why do so many different cultures have their own version of the lycanthrope and their own stories of animal transformation? Why are we fascinated by tales of children raised by wolves?

In the 10 lectures of Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture, author and teacher Shannon Scott will take you around the world to explore the many ways humans have created and shared stories of wolves, shape-shifting, and lycanthropy. Through these many places and cultures, you will see why the wolf has represented different things to different people across time; whether the wolf is a symbol of fear or fascination - or a little bit of both - it has certainly had an impact on art, history, and more.

As you dig into the history of wolves and werewolves throughout the world, you will engage with:

  • Charles Perrault’s famous “Little Red Riding Hood”, and many of its later permutations across several centuries;
  • The werewolf in Romance literature of the Medieval Period;
  • American conceptions of the wolf in literature and its relationship to the treatment of wolves in the in reality;
  • The werewolf as “femme fatale” in Victorian literature and beyond;
  • “Real” lycanthropy and the stories of feral children, in both fiction and reality;
  • Werewolves in film and contemporary literature, and more.

As you will see, while our conceptions of the wolf and its close relative the werewolf have shifted over time, their stories still manage to sink their claws into our collective imagination.

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What listeners say about Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture

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Fascinating from start to finish!

I very much enjoyed this look at wolves and werewolves in literature over the ages. Fascinating, engaging, and I learned so much!

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A Neat History

This was a pretty cool collection of lectures on the history of werewolves and the human fascination with "the-beast-within" as well as metamorphosis. Give it a go if you want to learn more about the lore and symbolism of the wolf.

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Wildly Entertaining

I found this lecture series both fascinating, informative and entertaining! Great for my research!

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Delivers the goods

This series of lectures breaks down the werewolf legend according to various themes, which it then goes on to successfully analyze and develop. A fine survey of werewolf history, lore, literature and cinema. Enjoyable and informative.

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