The Werewolf of Paris
Encyclopedia
The Werewolf of Paris is a horror novel by Guy Endore
. The novel follows Bertrand Caillet, the main character, who turns into a werewolf
.
Bertrand grows up with strange sadistic and sexual desires which are usually expressed as dreams. Sometimes the dreams are memories of actual experiences in which he had transformed into a wolf.
His step-uncle, Aymar Galliez, who raises the boy (along with his mother and a servant), soon finds out about Bertrand's affliction. Bertrand flees to Paris after an assault on a prostitute, an incest
uous union with his mother and a murder in their home village. Aymar tries to find Bertrand by studying the details of local crimes, such as mauling of corpses and various murders.
Bertrand joins the National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War
, doing little fighting and finding love from a girl who works at a canteen. However, Bertrand and his love, Sophie, are forced to deal with his affliction. They try to avoid the violent effects of his transformation by cutting into parts of her body and allowing him to suck her blood.
Aymar finds Bertrand in Paris during the Paris Commune
, but thinking that love has cured Bertrand, he decides not to take action. Fearing that he'll accidentally kill Sophie, Bertrand goes out one night to feed on someone else. However, he is caught attacking a man after transforming into a wolf. Aymar supports burning Bertrand at the stake, but a court trial sentences him to an infirmary.
Aymar transfers Bertrand to an asylum after the Versaillists have taken back Paris. Unbeknownst to Aymar, Bertrand suffers in a small cell, drugged when he is visited by his uncle. Bertrand eventually commits suicide by jumping from the building with a girl he mistakenly believes is Sophie. Their deaths are similar to a suicide fantasy that Bertrand and Sophie enjoyed; the real Sophie had previously committed suicide on her own, unable to deal with her separation from Bertrand.
and McComas
described the novel as a "superb blend of fantasy and psycho-pathology and history.".
, sold the manuscript outright to Farrar & Rinehart for a flat-fee, thus receiving no additional royalties from its subsequent success. Given that Endore's following novel, Babouk, was published elsewhere (Vanguard, 1934), this story could have merit, although that work's revolutionary Haitian subject matter may have proved too controversial for F&R.
After being blacklisted from Hollywood due to his Communist affiliations, Endore left screenwriting and published several other Freudian-tinged mysteries (Methinks the Lady, Detour at Night) and also returned to his love of French history for biographies on the Marquis de Sade, Voltaire, and Rousseau (Satan's Saint, Voltaire! Voltaire!) . His only other popular literary success came with King of Paris (1950s), a historical novel based on the life of Alexandre Dumas.
, The Werewolf of Paris did not serve as the basis either for Werewolf of London
(1935) nor The Wolf Man (1941). Hammer Studios' The Curse of the Werewolf
(1962) was the first adaptation of the story. Legend of the Werewolf
(1975) was also based on the novel.
Guy Endore
Samuel Guy Endore , born Samuel Goldstein and also known as Harry Relis, was a novelist and screenwriter. During his career he produced a wide array of novels, screenplays, and pamphlets, both published and unpublished...
. The novel follows Bertrand Caillet, the main character, who turns into a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
.
Plot summary
Bertrand is born on a Christmas Eve to a woman who had been molested by a priest. He shares the last name of a family previously known to have produced a werewolf.Bertrand grows up with strange sadistic and sexual desires which are usually expressed as dreams. Sometimes the dreams are memories of actual experiences in which he had transformed into a wolf.
His step-uncle, Aymar Galliez, who raises the boy (along with his mother and a servant), soon finds out about Bertrand's affliction. Bertrand flees to Paris after an assault on a prostitute, an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous union with his mother and a murder in their home village. Aymar tries to find Bertrand by studying the details of local crimes, such as mauling of corpses and various murders.
Bertrand joins the National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, doing little fighting and finding love from a girl who works at a canteen. However, Bertrand and his love, Sophie, are forced to deal with his affliction. They try to avoid the violent effects of his transformation by cutting into parts of her body and allowing him to suck her blood.
Aymar finds Bertrand in Paris during the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
, but thinking that love has cured Bertrand, he decides not to take action. Fearing that he'll accidentally kill Sophie, Bertrand goes out one night to feed on someone else. However, he is caught attacking a man after transforming into a wolf. Aymar supports burning Bertrand at the stake, but a court trial sentences him to an infirmary.
Aymar transfers Bertrand to an asylum after the Versaillists have taken back Paris. Unbeknownst to Aymar, Bertrand suffers in a small cell, drugged when he is visited by his uncle. Bertrand eventually commits suicide by jumping from the building with a girl he mistakenly believes is Sophie. Their deaths are similar to a suicide fantasy that Bertrand and Sophie enjoyed; the real Sophie had previously committed suicide on her own, unable to deal with her separation from Bertrand.
Critical reception
BoucherAnthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
and McComas
J. Francis McComas
Jesse Francis McComas was an American science fiction editor. McComas wrote several stories on his own in the 1950s using both his own name and the pseudonym Webb Marlowe....
described the novel as a "superb blend of fantasy and psycho-pathology and history.".
History
After writing The Man From Limbo in 1930, Endore achieved a moderate success for Farrar & Rinehart in 1933, with The Werewolf of Paris going through numerous printings for the clothbound first edition (pictured at right). Extant copies in dustjackets are increasingly rare. It is rumored that Endore, suffering under the impact of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, sold the manuscript outright to Farrar & Rinehart for a flat-fee, thus receiving no additional royalties from its subsequent success. Given that Endore's following novel, Babouk, was published elsewhere (Vanguard, 1934), this story could have merit, although that work's revolutionary Haitian subject matter may have proved too controversial for F&R.
After being blacklisted from Hollywood due to his Communist affiliations, Endore left screenwriting and published several other Freudian-tinged mysteries (Methinks the Lady, Detour at Night) and also returned to his love of French history for biographies on the Marquis de Sade, Voltaire, and Rousseau (Satan's Saint, Voltaire! Voltaire!) . His only other popular literary success came with King of Paris (1950s), a historical novel based on the life of Alexandre Dumas.
Adaptations in film
Despite the fact that Endore worked for Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, The Werewolf of Paris did not serve as the basis either for Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
(1935) nor The Wolf Man (1941). Hammer Studios' The Curse of the Werewolf
The Curse of the Werewolf
The Curse of the Werewolf is a British film based on the novel The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore. The film was made by the British film studio Hammer Film Productions and was shot at Bray Studios.-Plot:...
(1962) was the first adaptation of the story. Legend of the Werewolf
Legend of the Werewolf
Legend of the Werewolf is a 1975 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis. It stars Peter Cushing.-Plot summary:A boy that has been raised by wolves is displayed as a circus freak. Then he grows up, becomes a zookeeper and falls in love with a prostitute...
(1975) was also based on the novel.