Werewolves in Literature/Film
When they were popular in literature?
The supernatural beings had already been heard about in history by the time that literature had a big influence on the modern knowledge of werewolves. Werewolves in literature first came about in the Gothic/Romantic era of the 19th century. Although there was writing about werewolves during this time period, there seemed to be a lot more interest in the werewolf phenomena in the 20th century, with the ease of mass media and pop culture. Many early writings on werewolves were based off of older folklore stories with exaggerated story plots in order to create a selling novel.
When were they popular in film?
Werewolves have been incredibly popular in our lifetime thanks to the means in which we are able to portray the creatures. Second only to the vampires, werewolves one of the most popular supernatural and horror characters found in film. The 20th century proved to be the best time for these creatures because of the hype already associated with the horror industry in the century in earlier film and in literature. There is no specific decade in which these monsters peaked, because their popularity reign throughout the 20th century, and has even stayed popular in the 21st century.
Symbols/importance in literature/film
Werewolves are often associated with the moon because of that being a time in which they are able to transform from human into wolf, but also because of the Lunar Effect. The Lunar Effect is a psychological phenomenon that states that the rise of a full moon causes insanity. Werewolves are also associated with hyper-masculinity, making them dominant roles in literature/film and often creating problem with other dominant characters. For example, werewolves can commonly be seen fighting vampires because both are dominant creatures competing for power.