How does each version differ in its view/representation of Red or the main character (and, by extension, children/girls)? What lessons do the different versions offer?
---
We encounter several versions of this take in our book, and I'll take each one by one to make this hopefully simple in organization at least.
...Continued from Part 1...
Tomi Ungerer paints a completely different picture of a story in his "Little Red Riding Hood." This Red Riding Hood is not wearing a cloak by choice, but by the suggestion of her mother to find the girl more easily. She's said to be a child at several points, but then also is referred to as "damsel" and "lady" at times, and considering Duke (the wolf) takes her off to marry her, I feel like she isn't as young as the other Red Riding Hoods. She's described as sensible, and it's true. She's kind in delivering food to her cruel grandmother, but she understands the woman is cruel and seems justified to the reader in her shying away from finishing that journey. When Duke approaches her, she does not immediately accept his offer, which speaks well for her. Then she doesn't even know the term "reputation", so she's obviously not supposed to be the brightest of girls. When she does give in, there's no suggestion of negative repercussions. She actually marries the wolf and lives "happily ever after" though her mean granny doesn't. So the moral here? The tale honestly feels like a shallow romp, but is by no means poorly written. The usual theme, warning against strangers is missing, as the stranger sweeps her off to a better life. Perhaps the moral here is obedience and doing for those who might not appreciate it can lead to good things in the end? I'm honestly quite iffy. This I think might be the start of fairytales being dulled down. Though Polly's story involved it as well, she was more self-aware I felt than muted. Though using familiar characters, I almost feel like this was a completely different story entirely from what we've been reading, even more so than Polly.
Tony Ross gives us another version with "Little Red Hood: A Classic Story bent Out of Shape." The style is drastically different and very dated with slang like "turkey" and bits of Yiddish even. Considering that Granny, or "Crazy Carmela," lived in Jersey, I'm thinking that Little Red Hood is out of New York, and I'm not surprised. She's sassy and strong, but she was still eaten along with Carmela. I thought it was funny that everyone got a name, mother "Linda," father "Rocky," granny was already mentioned, everyone except for Little Red Hood and the wolf. Then Little Red wasn't just for her hood, but for her father calling her a "commie" after she said she was going on strike. This is a Little Red Hood that wants to be independent, but still have that parental safety net. She's lucky for it in the end of course. The moral here harkens back to our previous stories: Don't stop to chat with strangers, and honestly, don't tickle strange dogs either.
"Ruby" by Michael Emberly I'll note wasn't officially intended to be a retelling. He said it had sounded like one so he "ended up just riding that wave to the beach" (pp 368). In this tale, Ruby, our heroine, is actually a little mouse. She doesn't want to visit her Granny, but does still as her mother asks. As most Red Riding Hoods, she disobeys direct orders by reading as she walks and talking to cats. The "wolf" who is a cat here actually rescues her from a reptile mugger. The cat is suave and Ruby tells her Granny's address, but she then calls her Granny's neighbor instead of the old woman, and the dog makes quick work of that cat when he arrives. Ruby is interesting because there's no real attention made to the red cloak, though she does wear one it's never spoken of, only shown. The contemporary feel it has with being placed in the city I think makes it appeal more to children from more modern days. This story does relate back to previous Red Riding Hoods, where the moral is about not trusting strangers, even strangers that act kindly to you and to mind your parents.
Francesa Lia Block's "Wolf" is the final spin on this tale. From the first paragraph, this is not a story for young children. It's from the first person, so again, she has no name and no physical hood. She tries to be strong for her mother who she also feels is her best friend. The "wolf" is her mother's boyfriend and he raped her regularly. She never told her mother because she was scared her mom would hate her. This to my understanding is common in this situation. She smokes, she swears, but when she describes her best dream involving a bed of puppies and kitties with a party full of balloons and so on, she's still very much a child. In the end, she takes matters into her own hands and deals with the attacker herself when she's scared he's after herself and her grandmother. She is the one that pulls the trigger and ends her pain. This story isn't about the wolves in the wild, but the ones that can enter our homes that we must watch out for. Many young girls end up like this one, maybe not killing a man, but keeping this all to themselves and not talking about their pain because they're scared. I enjoyed this story; it's a modern and sobering tale.
The Red Riding Hood stories have evolved and changed drastically over time, but many things stay the same; the girl going to grandma's encounters a wolf. How she deals with it is up to her. As Red Riding Hood has progressed though, she continues to take actions into her hands.
Showing posts with label little red riding hood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label little red riding hood. Show all posts
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Ever Changing Little Red Riding Hood Part 1
How does each version differ in its view/representation of Red or the main character (and, by extension, children/girls)? What lessons do the different versions offer?
We encounter several versions of this take in our book, and I'll take each one by one to make this hopefully simple in organization at least.
"The Story of Grandmother" is the first we encounter as a part of the introduction to this section. This is thought to be the story that inspired Charles Perrault's one story. This story shows red cloak, which perhaps suggests that though this girl is still young enough to stray the path and piddle about instead of staying on task, perhaps because she makes an escape and is never eaten, she actually is more mature than the girl in the cloak/cap of the later stories. Though she does undress as well as drinks and eats of her dead Granny's flesh, after seeing the werewolf close up, she plans her own escape and needs no helpful huntsman or father to rescue her. It's suggested in the reading that Granny's death and the girl's consumption is a sort of passing down of roles and responsibilities (pp 340), which looking back now I can certainly see. It's interesting that this is under the prompting of the werewolf, who is in a way helping her mature not just sexually, but in other fashions as well. This story gives the same lesson as many stories of Little Red Riding Hood; stay to your task and do not stray. Be aware of what's going on about you, especially strangers. However, as I mentioned before, this little girl is quick witted and saves herself despite her previous poor choices. That in itself is quite different and eliminates the need for a Huntsman or father figure, though here it is sure that the poor Granny is dead.
Charles Perrault's version "Little Red Riding Hood" is one of the best known version and with the presence of the red cloak/cap, it's best said this though inspired by the previous tale is for these purposes is the original. I have to admit, this isn't a version I've known in my life. Oddly, I had heard a version of "The Story of Grandmother." This version was aimed at upper class girls, probably those that might go about men and have no inclination of these creations true intentions. Here, Red Riding Hood is a girl given all she could want with no reason to fear the world around her, including a lovely red hood that makes her likely more attractive with its striking color and almost difficult for the wolf to avoid. Considering it was supposed to be "perfectly suited to her", one would think she was of age and mindset to handle what it implies such as womanhood, but we see she is not as the wolf easily leads her to the longer path where she strays further to pick flowers and tricks her further once she arrives at her grandmother's house. Red Riding Hood is not as bright as the girl from the previous story, as she cannot get herself free of the situation and comes to be eaten. The mother again sends her daughter on this task with no warning and complete trust that she will accomplish this. While the girl thinks she's safe the entire time, and going to the home of her grandmother where she has known nothing but safety, the wolf changes this and uses the isolation against her. It's curious that there is no woodsman again, though this is not a story where the girl's sins are to be forgiven. The odd thing is that there are woodcutters mentioned near where the wolf and Little Red first meet. Perhaps their presence is suggesting that while others might be about, no one will simply worry about some poor foolish girl who happens to be stupid enough to chat with old wolves. The moral here is spelled out right at the end. Do not converse with old wolves, also meaning strange men that could easily take advantage of your naive and pure young self with their sly ways and seemingly kind words. I feel like more young girls should probably have read Perrault's version, but it's understandable that such a direct and somewhat violent version has been somewhat replaced by more tame things considering the way children's fiction has been going. I prefer this version.
The next version is one I know well. The Grimm brothers' tale of "Little Red Cap" is in my opinion much closer to the stories that circulate in these days. This story shows Little Red Cap as the girl we know well. She says she will follow her mother's directions not to stray and peek about her grandmother's house, but then is still led astray by the wolf as the previous girls had been. This Red Cap however realizes that something is not right in her grandmother's home when she enters, suggesting that she is realizing her folly, though too late to fix it. Though other girls have been trusting, Grimms' Red Cap even allows the wolf to accompany her for a time, thinking nothing strange of it. As a reader, this is shocking because he is not just some vulpine-father figure out to seduce her, but also a literal wolf. Her naiveté is obvious at this point almost more so than the previous girl. We also see this naiveté being made up for in a sort of second go for Red Cap and her grandmother. Once freed, Red Cap comes up with the sly plan that kills the creature instead of just allowing the Huntsman to do so, thus taking care of her own problems and growing. The moral here is to not disobey your parent and be careful who you trust. Trust I feel is a larger issue here than in Perrault's story; Mother has noticeably less trust in her daughter than previous tales as she warns her of what not to do, Red Cap has too much trust in the wolf, but loses this quickly once she gets to her grandmother's house, Grandmother doesn't even need a fake voice to believe the tricky wolf, the Huntsman rightfully trusts Red Cap's plan which kills the wolf as easily as he could have, and finally after learning their lesson, Grandmother and Red Cap trust each other enough to take care of the second wolf with no assistance.
Next is Charles Marelle's "The True History of Little Golden-hood" which in itself is definitely a change from the norm with the lack of red. The sound of this story is different, as though it's meant to be read aloud as opposed to read in a book. Our hooded heroine has a name, Blanchette, where as previously she was called by everyone by her lovely head coverings if anything at all, even by her mother and grandmother. Blanchette is still that girl that doesn't quite heed her mother and takes her time in her task, even conversing with the wolf that approaches like a dog as many a child might be more likely to trust. After again revealing her grandmother's exact location, she is still tricked to undress and to come to bed with this sly wolf. However, Blanchette noticed how like Friend wolf her poor Granny appeared and obviously knew something to be amiss, so she kept her hood on in protection. This was a smarter move than even she knew of course. Also noticeable is how instead of simply being eaten, this girl ducks down in fear, realizing her mistake and crying for her mama. This tale has a similar moral to those before; don't talk to strangers, which was specifically told to the child by her mother here. We also have a somewhat Christian and feminist take on things. Blanchette's enchanted golden hood saves her from the wolf, who dies in a dark, damp well, which draws the child to the light and warmth of Blanchette and her family as opposed to the dark evil that is the wolf. The feminine take is with how there is no male savior, only the male aggressor and the grandmother is the hero of the tale. This is a very different take from any other tales yet read.
The next is Walter De La Mare's take, classically titled "Little Red Riding-Hood" and is a takeoff of the Grimms' version with a sort of more humorous spin on some aspects. Red Riding-Hood is illustrated as being utterly vain and completely spoiled, begging for a red cloak just the same as an older woman's she had seen and envied. Obviously she's not mature enough to handle what this cloak implies as she just wants it because it's pretty. The child is also selfish, thinking she'll take all the treats she wants when she arrives at her sick Grannie's. She is even so absent minded here that she does not stray, but actually pauses to rest and falls asleep. Something can be said in her favor however, as she does fear the wolf at first, but quickly gives in to his charm. As the story ends, the moral of not straying and not forgetting the look of a wolf is restated, but this Red Riding-Hood is still as vain as ever.
Catherine Storr's version again names the hooded girl, "Little Polly Riding Hood." The characters here are actually aware of the existence of the original Little Red Riding Hood story, so it's hopeful that Polly will have learned from that tale. Polly is an incredibly sensible girl and the only truly fairytale factor of this story is the talking wolf. She knows that story this wolf has read and he cannot trick her because he's only attempting another wolf's tricks and failing miserably. Polly isn't caught off guard, and she shows no fear of the wolf, only confidence in her task and ease in something she's done often before. The moral here isn't quite the same as the other stories. Polly tells the wolf that life isn't a fairytale, which implies many things such as there is no one to save you should you falter besides yourself and that though there are always wolves, that doesn't mean you must always be caught by one. As we age, we see that the children in those old fairytales are sometimes shockingly silly and naive. I feel that Polly is a proper up-to-date little girl and a fine example of a modernized Red Riding Hood.
Ronald Dahl has an even more altered version of this fairytale in "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf." This Red Riding Hood is no victim either, much like Polly of the previous tale. She not only doesn't fall for the Wolfie's trick, she has a pistol hidden away that she uses to kill him and it's implied she even skins him for a coat later. Her vanity however still remains I feel, considering how she shows off her coat similar to how Blanchette showed off her red hood. This Red Riding Hood did everything on her own and was not about to be taken in by anyone. The moral isn't as much about Red Riding Hood here as it is about Wolfie. Not everything will go as you planned, and watch out for little girls with pistols in their knickers.
...Continued in Part 2...
The Red Riding Hood stories have evolved and changed drastically over time, but many things stay the same; the girl going to grandma's encounters a wolf. How she deals with it is up to her. As Red Riding Hood has progressed though, she continues to take actions into her hands.
[Page references are from The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature: The Traditions in English, 2005]
We encounter several versions of this take in our book, and I'll take each one by one to make this hopefully simple in organization at least.
"The Story of Grandmother" is the first we encounter as a part of the introduction to this section. This is thought to be the story that inspired Charles Perrault's one story. This story shows red cloak, which perhaps suggests that though this girl is still young enough to stray the path and piddle about instead of staying on task, perhaps because she makes an escape and is never eaten, she actually is more mature than the girl in the cloak/cap of the later stories. Though she does undress as well as drinks and eats of her dead Granny's flesh, after seeing the werewolf close up, she plans her own escape and needs no helpful huntsman or father to rescue her. It's suggested in the reading that Granny's death and the girl's consumption is a sort of passing down of roles and responsibilities (pp 340), which looking back now I can certainly see. It's interesting that this is under the prompting of the werewolf, who is in a way helping her mature not just sexually, but in other fashions as well. This story gives the same lesson as many stories of Little Red Riding Hood; stay to your task and do not stray. Be aware of what's going on about you, especially strangers. However, as I mentioned before, this little girl is quick witted and saves herself despite her previous poor choices. That in itself is quite different and eliminates the need for a Huntsman or father figure, though here it is sure that the poor Granny is dead.
Charles Perrault's version "Little Red Riding Hood" is one of the best known version and with the presence of the red cloak/cap, it's best said this though inspired by the previous tale is for these purposes is the original. I have to admit, this isn't a version I've known in my life. Oddly, I had heard a version of "The Story of Grandmother." This version was aimed at upper class girls, probably those that might go about men and have no inclination of these creations true intentions. Here, Red Riding Hood is a girl given all she could want with no reason to fear the world around her, including a lovely red hood that makes her likely more attractive with its striking color and almost difficult for the wolf to avoid. Considering it was supposed to be "perfectly suited to her", one would think she was of age and mindset to handle what it implies such as womanhood, but we see she is not as the wolf easily leads her to the longer path where she strays further to pick flowers and tricks her further once she arrives at her grandmother's house. Red Riding Hood is not as bright as the girl from the previous story, as she cannot get herself free of the situation and comes to be eaten. The mother again sends her daughter on this task with no warning and complete trust that she will accomplish this. While the girl thinks she's safe the entire time, and going to the home of her grandmother where she has known nothing but safety, the wolf changes this and uses the isolation against her. It's curious that there is no woodsman again, though this is not a story where the girl's sins are to be forgiven. The odd thing is that there are woodcutters mentioned near where the wolf and Little Red first meet. Perhaps their presence is suggesting that while others might be about, no one will simply worry about some poor foolish girl who happens to be stupid enough to chat with old wolves. The moral here is spelled out right at the end. Do not converse with old wolves, also meaning strange men that could easily take advantage of your naive and pure young self with their sly ways and seemingly kind words. I feel like more young girls should probably have read Perrault's version, but it's understandable that such a direct and somewhat violent version has been somewhat replaced by more tame things considering the way children's fiction has been going. I prefer this version.
The next version is one I know well. The Grimm brothers' tale of "Little Red Cap" is in my opinion much closer to the stories that circulate in these days. This story shows Little Red Cap as the girl we know well. She says she will follow her mother's directions not to stray and peek about her grandmother's house, but then is still led astray by the wolf as the previous girls had been. This Red Cap however realizes that something is not right in her grandmother's home when she enters, suggesting that she is realizing her folly, though too late to fix it. Though other girls have been trusting, Grimms' Red Cap even allows the wolf to accompany her for a time, thinking nothing strange of it. As a reader, this is shocking because he is not just some vulpine-father figure out to seduce her, but also a literal wolf. Her naiveté is obvious at this point almost more so than the previous girl. We also see this naiveté being made up for in a sort of second go for Red Cap and her grandmother. Once freed, Red Cap comes up with the sly plan that kills the creature instead of just allowing the Huntsman to do so, thus taking care of her own problems and growing. The moral here is to not disobey your parent and be careful who you trust. Trust I feel is a larger issue here than in Perrault's story; Mother has noticeably less trust in her daughter than previous tales as she warns her of what not to do, Red Cap has too much trust in the wolf, but loses this quickly once she gets to her grandmother's house, Grandmother doesn't even need a fake voice to believe the tricky wolf, the Huntsman rightfully trusts Red Cap's plan which kills the wolf as easily as he could have, and finally after learning their lesson, Grandmother and Red Cap trust each other enough to take care of the second wolf with no assistance.
Next is Charles Marelle's "The True History of Little Golden-hood" which in itself is definitely a change from the norm with the lack of red. The sound of this story is different, as though it's meant to be read aloud as opposed to read in a book. Our hooded heroine has a name, Blanchette, where as previously she was called by everyone by her lovely head coverings if anything at all, even by her mother and grandmother. Blanchette is still that girl that doesn't quite heed her mother and takes her time in her task, even conversing with the wolf that approaches like a dog as many a child might be more likely to trust. After again revealing her grandmother's exact location, she is still tricked to undress and to come to bed with this sly wolf. However, Blanchette noticed how like Friend wolf her poor Granny appeared and obviously knew something to be amiss, so she kept her hood on in protection. This was a smarter move than even she knew of course. Also noticeable is how instead of simply being eaten, this girl ducks down in fear, realizing her mistake and crying for her mama. This tale has a similar moral to those before; don't talk to strangers, which was specifically told to the child by her mother here. We also have a somewhat Christian and feminist take on things. Blanchette's enchanted golden hood saves her from the wolf, who dies in a dark, damp well, which draws the child to the light and warmth of Blanchette and her family as opposed to the dark evil that is the wolf. The feminine take is with how there is no male savior, only the male aggressor and the grandmother is the hero of the tale. This is a very different take from any other tales yet read.
The next is Walter De La Mare's take, classically titled "Little Red Riding-Hood" and is a takeoff of the Grimms' version with a sort of more humorous spin on some aspects. Red Riding-Hood is illustrated as being utterly vain and completely spoiled, begging for a red cloak just the same as an older woman's she had seen and envied. Obviously she's not mature enough to handle what this cloak implies as she just wants it because it's pretty. The child is also selfish, thinking she'll take all the treats she wants when she arrives at her sick Grannie's. She is even so absent minded here that she does not stray, but actually pauses to rest and falls asleep. Something can be said in her favor however, as she does fear the wolf at first, but quickly gives in to his charm. As the story ends, the moral of not straying and not forgetting the look of a wolf is restated, but this Red Riding-Hood is still as vain as ever.
Catherine Storr's version again names the hooded girl, "Little Polly Riding Hood." The characters here are actually aware of the existence of the original Little Red Riding Hood story, so it's hopeful that Polly will have learned from that tale. Polly is an incredibly sensible girl and the only truly fairytale factor of this story is the talking wolf. She knows that story this wolf has read and he cannot trick her because he's only attempting another wolf's tricks and failing miserably. Polly isn't caught off guard, and she shows no fear of the wolf, only confidence in her task and ease in something she's done often before. The moral here isn't quite the same as the other stories. Polly tells the wolf that life isn't a fairytale, which implies many things such as there is no one to save you should you falter besides yourself and that though there are always wolves, that doesn't mean you must always be caught by one. As we age, we see that the children in those old fairytales are sometimes shockingly silly and naive. I feel that Polly is a proper up-to-date little girl and a fine example of a modernized Red Riding Hood.
Ronald Dahl has an even more altered version of this fairytale in "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf." This Red Riding Hood is no victim either, much like Polly of the previous tale. She not only doesn't fall for the Wolfie's trick, she has a pistol hidden away that she uses to kill him and it's implied she even skins him for a coat later. Her vanity however still remains I feel, considering how she shows off her coat similar to how Blanchette showed off her red hood. This Red Riding Hood did everything on her own and was not about to be taken in by anyone. The moral isn't as much about Red Riding Hood here as it is about Wolfie. Not everything will go as you planned, and watch out for little girls with pistols in their knickers.
...Continued in Part 2...
The Red Riding Hood stories have evolved and changed drastically over time, but many things stay the same; the girl going to grandma's encounters a wolf. How she deals with it is up to her. As Red Riding Hood has progressed though, she continues to take actions into her hands.
[Page references are from The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature: The Traditions in English, 2005]
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