Ambrose Bierce publishes "The Eyes of the Panther"

Black and white photograph of Ambrose Bierce circa 1866. Wikimedia Commons.

On October 17, 1897, The San Francisco Examiner published Ambrose Bierce's "The Eyes of the Panther." In this short story, a woman named Irene Marlowe explains to her suitor that she was born shortly after her mother's traumatizing encounter with a panther. When the suitor is attacked a few nights later by a similar panther, he discovers after killing the beast that it was really Irene. Although considered a part of nineteenth century werewolf fiction, Bierce's story is a unique variant. Instead of a traditional werewolf, this text features a woman that can transform into a panther. A notable contrast to The Were-Wolf's antagonist White Fell is that Irene does not remain an animal upon her death. Instead, she reverts to her human form (Bierce, "The Eyes of the Panther;" Bierce, A Sole Survivor). 

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17 Oct 1897

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