Book Reviews 443

produced and received by a folk culture but by Spain, Greece, Sweden, and other northern Eu-
the mainstream suggests many possibilities for ropean countries within the larger mythological
future scholarship. For the opportunities for fur- tradition of hybrid monsters. Based on such leg-
ther work that it forecasts, and for the rich com- ends, Frost profiles the physical appearance of the
pilation of ideas and information that it delivers, werewolf, the duration of the transformation, and
the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art will benefit the methods (either voluntarily or involuntarily)
scholars and enthusiasts for many years to come. by which one becomes a werewolf. Frost then
makes a crucial distinction between the terms
—Joyce Bernstein Howell ‘‘lycanthrope’’ and ‘‘werewolf,’’ the former refer-
Virginia Wesleyan College ring to a person who believes that he or she is a
wolf, and the latter referring to an actual shape-
shifter. Frost points out that occult belief in were-
wolves as literal shape-shifters or psychic pro-
The Essential Guide to Werewolf jections of inner savagery continued through
Literature the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
Frost also summarizes the Freudian and Jungian
Brian J. Frost. Madison: University of Wisconsin psychological explanations of the werewolf as
Press, 2003. symbolic manifestation of unspeakable internal
desires.
Chapter two is entitled ‘‘A Survey of Reference
Brian J. Frost’s book provides a comprehensive Works.’’ Frost observes that most reference works
overview of werewolf fiction and nonfiction, on the subject address the ontology of the were-
from ancient Roman writers such as Virgil and wolf tradition and/or the literal existence of were-
Ovid through what Frost calls ‘‘the boom years’’ wolves; until recently, few works have catalogued
of the 1990s. The breadth of Frost’s coverage is the werewolf in fiction. The works cited in this
impressive, making this book an essential refer- chapter approach the werewolf legend from a va-
ence guide for those interested in the literary riety of perspectives, including occult, theological,
pedigree of the werewolf. Although the term anthropological, and psychoanalytic. Frost iden-
‘‘werewolf’’ itself is Anglo-Saxon in origin, Frost tifies the most important studies as originating in
notes that stories of human beings who transform the sixteenth century. Within the larger context of
themselves into wolves (or other kinds of animals) a belief in witchcraft and demonology, these
are common in world mythology, folklore, and works tend to conclude that so-called werewolves
literature. The task Frost then establishes for are mentally ill people under the satanic delusion
himself is a formidable one: to catalogue most (if that they have been transformed into beasts. Not
not all) of the known appearances of the werewolf until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, how-
in Western literature. He does so in workmanlike ever, did several noted reference works bring the
fashion, annotating the references as he sees fit. werewolf to popular attention. Some of the more
The end result is a book that is somewhat incon- recognizable twentieth-century authors (and a
sistent in the amount of detail given in the story host of more obscure ones) cited by Frost include
synopses, and the depth of its commentary on the Montague Summers, Ernest Jones, and Robert
literary significance of the werewolf. However, Eisler. Toward the end of the chapter, while not-
the book cannot be faulted for its exhaustive list- ing the contribution of writers such as Basil Cop-
ings and lengthy concluding bibliography. The per and Stephen King, Frost states the purpose of
bibliography alone makes this volume indispen- his own work: to fill a void in the cataloguing and
sable for scholars with an interest in the subject. literary criticism of fictional werewolf tales.
Chapter one, ‘‘The Werewolf Phenomenon,’’ In chapter three, ‘‘The Werewolf Enters Fic-
situates the werewolf legends of England, France, tion,’’ Frost embarks upon this primary mission.
444 The Journal of American Culture  Volume 27, Number 4  December 2004

He points out the earliest known literary occur- The Werewolf of Paris is the only work accorded
rences of the werewolf theme in works by Virgil, some degree of literary legitimacy by traditional
Petronius, and Marie de France. After the end of critics. Perhaps this recognition is due in part to
the medieval period, Frost says, the werewolf the novel’s emphasis on the Freudian psychosex-
rarely appears in fiction again until the nineteenth ual dimension of the werewolf legend. Frost also
century. Frost displays his impressive knowledge examines the influence on the genre of the mag-
by pointing out such disparate moments as the azine Unknown, the only serious competitor in
first novel to have a werewolf as a central char- the 1940s to Weird Tales. In response to the in-
acter (George W. M. Reynold’s Wagner, the Wehr- novative stories being published in Unknown,
Wolf in 1846), and the first known introduction of Weird Tales writers such as Robert Bloch and
a female werewolf character (Frederick Marryat’s Manly Banister struck back with their own were-
novel The Phantom Ship in 1839). Celebrated au- wolf stories. By the 1950s, however, the pulp
thors who incorporated werewolves into their magazines were being replaced by magazine di-
fiction include Alexandre Dumas, Guy de Mau- gests and inexpensive novels that were tailored to
passant, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kip- more sophisticated tastes. Frost explains that, co-
ling, and Algernon Blackwood. Novels that are inciding with this development, werewolf stories
not, strictly speaking, centered on werewolves are began to relocate their settings into urban envi-
also included in that these novels deal with lycan- ronments and more often appeared in science
thropy or the transformation of man into beast. fiction magazines. For example, science fiction
For example, Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous writer James Blish published the oft-anthologized
tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is discussed, as is werewolf story ‘‘There Shall Be No Darkness’’ in
Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf. As is typical of the Thrilling Wonder Tales in 1950. Publication of
rest of the volume, Frost furnishes the reader with werewolf short stories and novels continued at a
thumbnail summaries of most works. slow but steady pace throughout the 1960s, with
Chapter four, ‘‘A New Approach,’’ focuses on some of the stories, such as Dan Lindsay’s story
the era between world wars, when cheaply pro- ‘‘The Beatnik Werewolf’’ (1961), humorously re-
duced, mass distributed periodicals (the ‘‘pulps’’) flecting the sociopolitical concerns of the decade.
brought exciting and often lurid fictional stories Frost calls the 1970s through the 1990s ‘‘The
to a wide readership. Within the pages of maga- Boom Years’’ for werewolf fiction. He contends
zines such as Weird Tales, numerous werewolf that genre rode the coattails of a larger cultural
stories were published during the 1920s and interest in supernatural and occult-themed thrill-
1930s. Characteristically exuberant, Frost claims ers beginning in the 1970s. Chapter six thus de-
that the Weird Tales stable of pulp writers, such as tails the plots of well-known recent novels, such
Robert E. Howard, H. Warner Munn, Robert as Whitley Strieber’s The Wolfen (1978), Gary
Bloch, and Seabury Quinn, essentially saved the Brandner’s The Howling (1977), Thomas Tessier’s
horror/fantasy genre, and the werewolf tale in The Nightwalker (1981), Stephen King’s Cycle of
particular. Of particular interest here is Frost’s the Werewolf (1983), and Robert R. McCammon’s
discussion of pulp female writers, such as C. L. The Wolf’s Hour (1989). Short stories also prolif-
Moore, who penned memorable werewolf stories. erated, including contributions by noted fantasy
Chapter five’s title, ‘‘The Beast Within,’’ is ap- writers such as Harlan Ellison and Angela Carter.
propriate in that Freudian psychological theory, Frost concludes the chapter with an overview of
reliant on a binary opposition between the con- the many werewolf novels of the 1990s, the ad-
scious and unconscious minds, structures most of vent of werewolves as characters in paranormal
the werewolf tales from the 1930s through the romances aimed primarily at female readers, and
1960s, especially Guy Endore’s well known listings of works written for children. Chapter
novel, The Werewolf of Paris (1933). Frost right- seven, entitled ‘‘Werewolf Anthologies,’’ conven-
ly notes that of all of the known werewolf fiction, iently names the major anthologies on the subject
 Book Reviews 445

to date, including Frost’s own collection, Book of leaps of faith in accepting Frost’s endorsement or
the Werewolf (1973), Stephen Jones’s The Mam- dismissal of a given short story or novel.
moth Book of Werewolves (1994), and Pam Though at times rhetorically overwrought and
Keesey’s Women Who Run with the Werewolves somewhat vague in its criteria for judgment of
(1996). literary value, Frost’s study nevertheless catalogs
As impressive as this study is in its scope, some and synopsizes an incredible range of works cen-
problems exist. For example, while Frost typically tering on werewolves. The casual reader with an
maintains the detached academic style customary interest in werewolf fiction will find this study
in reference works such as this, his undeniable accessible in its language and helpful in its direc-
enthusiasm for the subject sometimes produces tion for further reading. The scholar will appre-
odd tonal dissonance. For example, in his more ciate the book’s overview of the publishing trends
unrestrained rhetoric, Frost can fudge the line and specific works of a given historical period.
between objective analysis of belief in the were- Finally, the study’s bibliography is invaluable for
wolf phenomenon and advocacy of a belief in any reader, collector, or critic looking to read
same: ‘‘[Transformation into a wolf] sounds in- more about one of the most fascinating figures in
credible, to say the least, and goes against all the pantheon of supernatural monsters: the were-
known scientific principles—but then, strange wolf.
phenomena always do. Let us not forget that
our knowledge of the world we live in is far from —Philip L. Simpson
complete; every day we are discovering something Brevard Community College, Florida
new, and perhaps some day the piecing together
of all of this dissociated knowledge will open up
terrifying aspects of reality’’ (23). While the cau-
tion against intellectual complacency is well tak- Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook
en, is Frost suggesting that there may be some
basis in fact for supernatural tales of shape-shift- D. L. Ashliman. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press,
ing? Such a claim might be better suited to some 2004.
of the occult texts that Frost examines. In addi-
tion, Frost does not hesitate to praise or condemn
a given story’s literary merits or demerits. Typical If all music, as star trumpeter Louis Armstrong
are overly generalized comments such as these: believed, is folk music, then all culture is folk
‘‘All three stories provide first-rate entertainment culture. And if that is correct, this book is for us
for those who enjoy storytelling of the good, old- all. Its purpose is to give brief historical explana-
fashioned kind’’ (92), or ‘‘Cliché-ridden potboilers tions (and examples where needed) of all kinds of
[these novels] are deservedly forgotten today’’ folk cultures, with contexts of their importance in
(101). Because Frost clearly wants his literary the lives of cultures around the world. Much of
judgment to be heeded, the reader may occasion- the material being endemic in our everyday cul-
ally wish that Frost had better defined his terms tures is familiar. Much, however, is new: addi-
so that one has a better sense of what Frost con- tional explanations and examples, and at times,
siders to be ‘‘first-rate entertainment.’’ Moreover, corrections to accepted understanding of items of
on the basis of these qualitative judgments, Frost historical value. Ashliman’s page on Aesop, for
often extensively summarizes some works at the example, changes the understanding of who
expense of a cursory listing of others. Certainly, Aesop (if he ever existed as single individual) re-
authorial decisions must be made as to which ally was—his life and career, and importance to us
works to linger upon, lest a study of this sort bog today. Many other entries shade our understand-
down and become too lengthy or esoteric. How- ing into different directions. As a result, this is a
ever, the reader finds oneself often making great book that needs to be handy for all scholars of