This week we discussed Clemence Housman’s wood-cut engraving illustrations of The Were-Wolf. This work initially caught my attention due to its gothic elements which I was interested in exploring especially because it was the only work which included a female were wolf as its main character. During today's presentation, I enjoyed the background information on both Clemence Housman and Laurence Housman's support for women's rights as it definitely shifts the meaning behind a lot of the illustrations. For example, the role of gender roles are vividly explored in this work especially when it comes to Rol's relationship with his older brother Sweyn. Swayn is portrayed as the ideal Victorian man in the text but this idealized image is tainted when it he meets White Fell. Although White Fell's influence is a play on the femme fatale due to Swayn's infatuation with her, I think she also represents a complex hybrid character, one that was not expected of women during the time this work was illustrated. 

Going back to the gothic elements of the work, I mostly appreciated the double gothic element Professor Kooistra pointed out in "The Race" illustration where Christian is closely behind White Fell while they are both running. Both of their physical features are very similar as White Fell is intentionally drawn to have both masculine and feminine traits. Although these artistic choices emphasise her hybrid features, I can't help but think they also represent how women can be just as complex as how men have always been portrayed in literature. White Fell is underestimated due to her feminine traits when she first visits, however, towards the end, Clamence illustrates how similar to Christian, she is capable of taking care of herself, which is where the double gothic element comes into play.