Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture

By: Shannon Scott, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Shannon Scott

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.

©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Very Interesting!

It’s October, so what better to read than a set of Great Courses lectures on the subject of Wolves and Werewolves? It’s a great subject, but way too many of the lectures were focused on the ancient origins of wolf stories then on the modern popular cultural representations of them. More has probably been written on werewolves in the last twenty years than in the 2000 before that and only the last lecture in the series really touches on these modern representations. I think a better balance would have been to squeeze the first nine lectures into four or five and devote the last half of the book to modern popular culture.

Interesting look at a common monster

4 stars - It was really good

In the 10 lectures within this audiobook, author and teacher Shannon Scott takes you around the world exploring the stories humans have created about wolves, shapeshifting, and lycanthropy. She talks about folklore, Brother’s Grimm fairy tales, movies, books, and so much more.

This was a very interesting look at wolves and werewolves. I enjoyed the delve into the history behind the creation of werewolves and other types of shifters. It was fascinating and I loved how she referenced everything from folklore, romantic literature from the Medieval period, to modern songs like Shakira’s “She Wolf”.

If you are a fan of wolves and werewolves, I suggest listening to this audiobook. It presents the history behind this creature that is now such a huge icon in horror movies, pop culture, and in paranormal romance books.

Great material, but the narrator needs practice.

Professor Scott brings together centuries of folklore, literature, and the edges of the human psyche in a lecture series that... unfortunately... lacks the one thing necessary for a successful Audible presentation: a listenable narrator.

Scott's text probably reads well to the eye, but it's dry to the ear. As she reads, her delivery is stilted with breathing pauses in places where a comma doesn't exist.

Perhaps she is more comfortable in a classroom, reacting to an in-person audience.

All that said, if you find the subject intriguing, by all means listen and learn. But keep the coffee cup filled.

More than expected and glad for it.

what a fun and entertaining educational course. i really enjoyed the narration style and a the interesting facts mixed in with some pop culture. Great listen.

Love it

Awesome can't turn it off . one of my favorite books so far. love it.

Modern take on werewolves

I enjoyed it, but was disappointed that there wasn't more about the incident in Gevaudan.

Don't look for recent werewolf stories and media.

I found the history and connections enjoyable. I have read several of the classical titles mentioned and liked the deep dive into them. However, I thought more contemporary werewolf offerings were a bit rushed. There has been a lot of films in the last 30 years, many with their on spin on the subject. I would have liked to hear the author's take on them.

I leaned a lot

I had no idea about the lengthy history involved in the world of Wolves and Werewolves.
I thoroughly enjoyed the classes.

Wolfbane Potpourri

Very enjoyable, though rather uneven both for what's left out and what's included. I thoroughly enjoyed the accounts of chivalrous medieval werewolves, and the Victorian she-wolf penny dreadfuls. It falls off toward the end, exploring in excruciating detail forgettable pop culture mediocrities (obscure YA stuff, e.g.) and giving short shrift to many of the classic films and stories in the genre. But as a free listen, a welcome diversion.

Interesting History

It was really fun to learn about the history of wolves and werewolves throughout different cultures and time periods. The narrator could have been better though as she sounds bored.