The Wolf. A Cultural History.
Threshold| N° d'inventaire | 21539 |
| Format | 19 x 24 |
| Détails | 158 p., numerous color and black and white illustrations, paperback with flaps. |
| Publication | Paris, 2018 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782021403954 |
In the European imagination, some animals play a more important role than others and form a sort of "central bestiary." The wolf is one of them, and is even one of the stars. It already occupies this place in ancient mythologies, like the Roman she-wolf, who fed Romulus and Remus, the wolf Fenrir, destroyer of the Nordic pantheon, and the numerous stories of devouring, metamorphoses, and werewolves. The latter are still very present in the Middle Ages, even if the fear of the wolf is then in decline. Bestiaries paint a negative portrait of the wild beast, and the Roman de Renart makes it a ridiculous beast, tricked by other animals and constantly pursued by hunters and peasants. Fear of the wolf returns in the modern era. Archival documents, chronicles, and folklore bear witness to this: from now on, wolves no longer only attack livestock, they devour women and children. The strange affair of the Beast of Gévaudan (1765-1767) constitutes the height of this fear, which in the countryside only slowly disappears. In the 20th century, literature, cartoons, and children's books ended up transforming the big bad wolf into an animal that no longer frightens and even becomes endearing. Only place names, proverbs, and a few legends preserve the memory of the voracious and cruel beast, so long feared.
In the European imagination, some animals play a more important role than others and form a sort of "central bestiary." The wolf is one of them, and is even one of the stars. It already occupies this place in ancient mythologies, like the Roman she-wolf, who fed Romulus and Remus, the wolf Fenrir, destroyer of the Nordic pantheon, and the numerous stories of devouring, metamorphoses, and werewolves. The latter are still very present in the Middle Ages, even if the fear of the wolf is then in decline. Bestiaries paint a negative portrait of the wild beast, and the Roman de Renart makes it a ridiculous beast, tricked by other animals and constantly pursued by hunters and peasants. Fear of the wolf returns in the modern era. Archival documents, chronicles, and folklore bear witness to this: from now on, wolves no longer only attack livestock, they devour women and children. The strange affair of the Beast of Gévaudan (1765-1767) constitutes the height of this fear, which in the countryside only slowly disappears. In the 20th century, literature, cartoons, and children's books ended up transforming the big bad wolf into an animal that no longer frightens and even becomes endearing. Only place names, proverbs, and a few legends preserve the memory of the voracious and cruel beast, so long feared.