Film and Lit Analysis: Werewolves
For the Film & Lit Analysis paper, you will explore werewolves from a cultural perspective. There are tworestrictions on your work this week, you can‘t choose the European Werewolf and you can‘t choose the Navajo Skinwalker these topics are off limits.
Assignment Details for Paper:
The concept of shapeshifting into animals is not one isolated to Europe. Cultures all across the globe had versions of animalistic shapeshifters, people who can turn into an animal and then back again to human. While this week we have focused on the werewolf, shapeshifting was not constrained to the wolf, all types of animals have been the subject of these stories over the years. Often the type of animal reflects the cultural beliefs of a society. Conducting research identify an animalistic shapeshifter or shapeshifting tradition from a non-European culture. Using the academic approaches discuss the characteristics of the were creature in question. 1. Read Introduction (The Beast and It’s World) & Chapter 2 (Monsters Real and Imagined) of Monsters of the Gévaudan: The Making of a Beast 2. Watch: The Wolf Man (1941)
Available for rent:
Amazon
YouTube
Google Play
iTunes
Vudu .
3. Read Encounters with Wild Children, Temptation and Disappointment in the Study of Human Nature
Read Part TWO of Savages, Philosophers & Naturalists at: https://play.google.com/books/
Chapter 3 Peter of Hanover and the Wild Girl of Songi
Chapter 4 The Debates
Things to think about:
- Role/purpose of shapeshifting in that society
- Does the shapeshifting represent the manifestation of a societal/cultural fear?
- Why that particular animal is used, what is the animal’s significance?
Submission Details:
- Paper should be 3-5 pages long double spaced using 12-point font in either Times New Roman or Calibri
- Formatting should follow MLA formatting guidelines as outlined at Purdue OWL
- You must use at least 2 scholarly sources for your paper (if you have questions on how to determine scholarly sources see the Evaluating Sources library guide)
- At least one of your sources needs to be something you find on your own.
- All papers should be saved as a .doc, .docx or as a .PDF
Answer preview
Werewolves
Each culture around the world has stories about mythological animals with some people even claiming to have seen the said imaginary features. An example of the mythological creatures is the werewolf which is defined as a human being with the skill to change into a wolf. The individual acquires the ability to change when a curse has been placed upon them or if another werewolf bites them. Werewolves are also known as lycanthropes, and their transformation from human to wolf usually happens during the full moon. Stories about werewolves originated in Europe even though there are stories about them in other cultures around the world (Brighenti, 20). The three approaches used in the analysis of the movie are psychological, historical and scientific…
(1400 words)