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The Tale and its History The version most widely known today is based on the Brothers Grimm version *. It is about a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, after the red hood she always wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her grandmother. A wolf (often identified as the Big Bad Wolf) wants to eat the girl but is afraid to do so in public (sometimes there are woodcutters watching). He approaches the girl, and she naïvely tells him where she is going. He suggests the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He eats the grandmother and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandmother. When the girl arrives, he eats her too. A woodcutter, however, comes to the rescue and cuts the wolf open. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They fill the wolf's body with heavy stones, which kills him. Other versions of the story have had the grandmother shut in the cupboard instead of eaten, and some have Little Red Riding Hood saved by the woodcutter as the wolf advances on her rather than after she is eaten. The tale makes the clearest contrast between the safe world of the village and the dangers of the forest, conventional antitheses that are essentially medieval, though no versions are as old as that. It also seems to be a strong morality tale, teaching children not to ‘wander off the path’. The theme of the ravening wolf and of the creature released unharmed from its belly is reflected in the Russian tale Peter and the Wolf, and the other Grimm tale The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, but its general theme of restoration is at least as old as Jonah and the whale. Pre-Perrault The origins of the Little Red Riding Hood story can be traced to oral versions from various European countries and more than likely preceding the 17th century, of which several exist, some significantly different from the currently-known, Grimms-inspired version. It was told by French peasants in the 14th century as well as in Italy, where a number of versions exist, including La finta nonna (The False Grandmother). It is also possible that this early tale has roots in very similar Oriental tales. These early variations of the tale differ from the currently known version in several ways. The antagonist is not always a wolf, but sometimes an ogre or a ‘bzou’ (werewolf), making these tales relevant to the werewolf-trials (similar to witch trials) of the time. The wolf usually leaves the grandmother’s blood and meat for the girl to eat, who then unwittingly cannibalises her own grandmother. Also, once the girl is in bed with the wolf she sees through his disguise and tries to escape, complaining to her ‘grandmother’ that she needs to defecate and would not wish to do so in the bed. The wolf reluctantly lets her go, tied to a piece of string so she does not get away. However, the girl slips the string over something else and gets away. It has been noted that in these stories she escapes with no help from any male or older female figure, but instead utilises her own cunning. The woodcutter/huntsman figure, added later, would limit the girl to a relatively passive role. This has led to criticisms that the story was changed to keep women "in their place", needing the help of a physically superior man such as the woodcutter to save them. Charles Perrault The earliest known printed version was known as Le Petit Chaperon Rouge and had its origins in 17th century French folklore. It was included in the collection Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals. Tales of Mother Goose (Histoires et contes du temps passé, avec des moralités. Contes de ma mère l'Oye), in 1697, by Charles Perrault. As the title implies, this version is both more sinister and more overtly moralized than the later ones. The story had as its subject an "attractive, well-bred young lady", a village girl of the country being deceived into giving a wolf she encountered the information he needed to successfully find her grandmother's house and eat the old woman while at the same time avoiding being noticed by woodcutters working in the nearby forest. Then he proceeded to lay a trap for the Red Riding Hood. The latter ends up eaten by the wolf and there the story ends. The wolf emerges the victor of the encounter and there is no happy ending. Charles Perrault explained the 'moral' at the end so that no doubt is left to his intended meaning: From this story one learns that children, especially young lasses, pretty, courteous and well-bred, do very wrong to listen to strangers, And it is not an unheard thing if the Wolf is thereby provided with his dinner. I say Wolf, for all wolves are not of the same sort; there is one kind with an amenable disposition — neither noisy, nor hateful, nor angry, but tame, obliging and gentle, following the young maids in the streets, even into their homes. Alas! Who does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such creatures the most dangerous! In this version the tale has been adapted for late 17th century French salon culture, an entirely different audience from what it had before, and has become a harsh morality tale warning women of the advances of men. The Brothers Grimm In the 19th century two separate German versions were retold to Jacob Grimm and his younger brother Wilhelm Grimm, known as the Brothers Grimm, the first by Jeanette Hassenpflug (1791–1860) and the second by Marie Hassenpflug (1788–1856). The brothers turned the first version to the main body of the story and the second into a sequel of it. The story as Rotkäppchen was included in the first edition of their collection Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales (1812)). This version had the girl and her grandmother saved by a huntsman who was after the wolf's skin. The second part featured the girl and her grandmother trapping and killing another wolf, this time anticipating his moves based on their experience with the previous one. The Brothers further revised the story in later editions and it reached the above mentioned final and better known version in the 1857 edition of their work. It is notably tamer than the older ones which contained darker themes. Modern scholars and audiences have often dismissed it as a mere watered-down version of the older story. After the Grimms Numerous authors have rewritten or adapted this tale. Andrew Lang retold the story as "The True History of Little Goldenhood" * in The Red Fairy Book, explicitly saying that the story had been mistold. The girl was saved, but not by the huntsman; when the wolf tried to eat her, its mouth was burned by the golden hood she wore, which was enchanted. Bruno Bettelheim, in The Uses of Enchantment, recast the Little Red Riding Hood motif in terms of classic Freudian analysis, that shows how fairy tales educate, support, and liberate the emotions of children. In the twentieth century, the popularity of the tale appeared to snowball, with many new versions being written and produced, especially in the wake of Freudian analysis, deconstruction and feminist critical theory. See below for a number of modern adaptations*. This trend has also led to a number of academic texts being written that focus on Little Red Riding Hood, including works by Alan Dundes and Jack Zipes. Interpretations There are many interpretations of the classic fairy tale, many of them sexual. Some are listed below. Prostitution One of the more common interpretations refers to a classic warning against becoming a "working girl." This builds off the fundamental "young girl in the woods" stereotype. The red cloak was also a classic signal of a prostitute in 17th century France. A Colombian charity recently used this theme in a poster campaign that showed various fairy tale characters reduced to child labour, including Red Riding Hood as a child prostitute * Sexual awakening Red Riding Hood has also been seen as a parable of sexual maturity. In this interpretation, the red cloak symbolizes the blood of the menstrual cycle and the entry into puberty, braving the "dark forest" of womanhood. Or the cloak could symbolize the hymen (earlier versions of the tale generally don't state that the cloak is red--the word "red" in the title may refer to the girl's hair color or a nickname). In this case, the wolf threatens the girl's virginity. The anthropomorphic wolf symbolizes a man, who could be a lover, seducer or sexual predator. Into The Woods In Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Into the Woods, the wolf's attempt to eat Little Red Riding Hood is seductive. In the original Broadway and in many other productions, the wolf costume features an obvious penis. When Little Red matures, she gives up her cloak, deciding she doesn't need it anymore. This can be viewed as deciding to no longer hide from the wolf (representing her own sexuality), or as the literal giving up of the cloak of the hymen, i.e. her virginity. Transactional Analysis In Eric Berne's version in What Do You Say After You Say Hello?, the story also deals with sexuality, and is seen as part of parental programming. In Berne's version, the grandfather of Little Red Riding Hood fondled her under her dress, awakening her latent sexuality. It also tells of an intimate relationship between the wolf and the grandmother. The tale can be viewed as a parental warning against adult sexuality, one which ironically thwarts Little Red's healthy sexual development. Natural Cycles Folklorists and cultural anthropologists such as P. Saintyves and Edward Burnett Tylor saw Little Red Riding Hood in terms of solar myths and other naturally-occurring cycles (though not the cycle of menstruation, mentioned above). Her red hood could represent the bright sun which is ultimately swallowed by the terrible night (the wolf). Alternatively, the tale could be about the May Queen ritual that represents the coming of Spring, with the crown of flowers replaced by the red hood.* Controversy In 1989 an illustrated version of Little Red Riding Hood was banned in two California school districts. This was apparently because Little Red Riding Hood was shown carrying alcohol (presumably wine) to her grandmother, and some were worried about the inclusion of alcohol in a children's story.* Trivia Author Charles Dickens is known to have said "Little Red Riding Hood was my first love. I have the impression that, if I had been able to marry her, I would have known perfect happiness." Modern uses and adaptations There have been many modern uses and adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood, generally with a mock-serious reversal of Red Riding Hood's naïveté or some twist of social satire; they range across a number of different media and styles. Multiple variations have been written in the past century, which adapt the Grimm’s tale to their own interests. Most either empower Little Red or give the wolf victim status under the term ‘misunderstood’. Many notable examples are cited below, but this is not an exhaustive list. Novels Short Stories Poetry Other retellings of the tale Many of the above short stories and poems (as well as many older texts) are collected in The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood by Jack Zipes. Film Animation and Anime Comics, videogames and other assorted media Other cultures names for Little Red Riding Hood See also | |||||||||
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