Chelsea Quinn Yarbro on Werewolves

Blogcritics Magazine has published a lengthy interview with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, the prolific author behind the Saint-Germain series— historical horror fiction about vampires. I’ve never read any of her books, but she has some interesting things to say about the depiction of werewolves in fiction.

From the interview:

Folklore almost always depicts were-creatures as being solitaries, and transforming either through religious ritual or exterior influences. For some, the transformation is totemic, for others, it is a sign of psychological difficulties. The archetypal function of these two figures is folklorically consistent: in western traditions, the vampire is a seducer and a sociopath, the were-creature is a rapist and psychotic.

Do you agree with Yarbro’s assessment? Post your opinion in the comments! You can also read the entire interview here, or visit Yarbro’s official web site.