As with vampires, there’s a sexual element to werewolves. While vampires tend to be smooth and sexually charged, the typical werewolf is hyper-masculine. He is exceptionally muscular, exceptionally hairy and exceptionally violent.
Werewolves are showing up in romantic fiction nearly as much as the vampire.
Depictions of the werewolf in modern and popular culture have not changed drastically from these long-held associations with sexuality and racial stereotypes. The proliferation of the werewolf archetype is exemplified by the contrasting implications of Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, two characters in the Twilight novels.
The aspects of the text worth analyzing are the contrasts of the vampire and werewolf cultures. The ensuing conflict and opposite nature of the two groups, fundamentally represented by Edward and Jacob, illuminate the werewolf’s new role in young adult literature as the primary sexual monster.
Is it the wildness of the wolf blending with the human body that attracts us or the fact that a hero or heroine will overcome and withstand the danger and fierceness of such a beast, knowing the one they love is trapped inside the contorted, vicious body of a beast?
