Dr Laura Kounine traces the symbiotic history of wolf and man, from ancient folklore to modern heartthrobs. Followed by Q&A

Why does the howling wolf haunt our dreams and imagination? These creatures have been with humans since the beginning of time, spiritual allies one moment and mortal enemies the next. In this talk we step into the shadows to see how the myth of the werewolf has shifted across time and place, from Asia to Europe to the Americas.

Beyond myth we’ll explore the horrifying reality of the 16th and 17th century werewolf trials, where men and women confessed to impossible transformations and paid the ultimate price. And in more modern times how did a bloodthirsty monster transform into the volatile, vulnerable teenage heartthrob of modern TV, film, and erotica?

Join us to discover what the werewolf reveals about our relationship with the natural world, the complexities of masculinity, and the thin, blurring line between man and beast.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:

Dr Laura Kounine is an Associate Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Sussex, where she specialises in witch-hunting, feminism, emotions, gender, and selfhood. She holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. Her 2018 book, Imagining the Witch: Emotions, Gender and Selfhood in Early Modern Germany, was published by Oxford University Press, and she is co-editor of the upcoming Cambridge Companion to the Witch. Kounine also writes reviews for the Times Literary Supplement and has contributed to the BBC Sounds ‘Witch’ podcast and the Channel 4 documentary Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials. She has spoken at the Brighton Festival and the British Library’s ‘Festival of the Accused’. With fellowships at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions in Melbourne, she was also awarded a British Academy ‘Rising Stars’ grant.

This talk is 16+

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