The Evolution of Red

            With over fifty versions of her tale, Little Red Riding Hood’s rich story dates back to the 11^th century poem detailing a young girl in a red baptismal cloak. All versions of the tale remain consistent with the heroine encountering a dangerous beast (wolf) while on the way to visit her grandmother. As the intended audience changes from the educated elite to the young children, the suggestive implications of the tale also change. Charles Perrault offers the tale of an innocent girl eaten by the dangerous wolf. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm recount Red Riding Hood’s attack by a wolf, but she finds safety through a huntsman. Going against the trend, Roal Dahl introduces the reader to a more contemporary Red Riding Hood who refuses to be devoured by the wolf and reacts with violence. Although many details change, the various versions of “Little Red Riding Hood” show the timeless tale of a young girl stalked by a predator.

            Different variations of Little Red Riding Hood develop all over the world. Many believe the tale has East Asian origins, but Rachel Shae used the scientific method to find the tale originated in an 11^th century poem recorded by a Belgium priest. The tale recounts a young girl who wears a “red baptismal tunic” and encounters a dangerous wolf (Shae). With all the different versions, the main details stay the same—the color red, the innocent girl, the wolf.  

            Credited with originally writing down the fairy tale, Charles Perrault published “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” in 1697. Scholars have tried to connect elements of the tale to Greek mythology, but all attempts come up short. Perrault published his tale in Paris following the fashionable trend brought on by the court of Louis XIV. Nancy Mavrogenes found “two levels of the tale: the literal one for the children and the symbolic for adults, wherein the wolf in bed seduces the girl.” The moral presented at the end of the tale reinforces the implied audience and offers a warning to young ladies. Perrault warns his audience to “beware of wolves, especially the gentle ones who deceive with sweet words” (Rholetter). Even though most of the modern interpretation derive from Perrault’s printed version of Red Riding Hood’s tale, he does not receive credit inventing it.

This scene was inspired from “Little Red Riding Hood” by Charles Perrault and published by El Mundo Ilustrado in Barcelona, Circa 1880. Red is presented as an innocent young girl unaware of the vicious predator she has encountered.

More than one hundred years later, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their own version of “Little Red Riding Hood”. While following the same plot, the Grimms breakaway from Perrault by giving Red Riding Hood (and in some versions, her grandmother) a happy ending. The brothers published Rotkäppchenin 1812, and the ending’s inspiration comes from German folklore (Mavrogene). Typical within the realm of German folklore, the female protagonist is rewarded for being good, and the villain is reprimanded for being bad. Even though Red does go off the recommended path, she does maintain innocence throughout her story. The Grimm version loses any sexual undertones and presents a more for a much younger audience: obey your mother and follow the correct path (Rholetter). Although the wolf previously symbolized the predatory man seeking a young woman, the wolf became the symbol of fear following the Thirty Years War in Germany.  The frightening predator offers the tale a mystical element enjoyable for a younger audience. Zhohar Shavit disagrees with Rholetter and found the original intended audience to be the literary elite but had to change aspects of the tale to enable children to read them. Also, the Grimm Brothers alter the ending allowing a hunter to save Little Red Cap and attempt to give a happier ending. The Grimm Brothers’ tale show the societal view that women need a man’s protection.  

            While keeping with the traditions of the Grimm Brothers and Perrault, Roald Dahl published “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” in his 1982 collection Revolting Rhymes. Following the push of the Freudian interpretation which equates the tale as a metaphor for rape, critics believe the hunter represents the father figure (Rholetter). The tale began to take on new variants. Roald Dahl changes the weak protagonist—fitting with the social empowerment of women in literature—to a liberated heroine. Rholetter explains that “Little Red Riding Hood not only disposes of the wolf with a gun, but she also exchanges her red garment for a new coat made from the wolf’s pelt.” Dahl shows how contemporary society no longer views women as weak and unable to overpower their predator. He puts the modern spin of the tale by having Red use the gun—modern technology—to overpower the villain. Dahl keeps with the Grimm’s “happy ending” but allows Red to take control. Although Dahl intended his spin on the popular fairy tales to be a parody, the heroine’s fight back shows the audience the change that continued to be relevant and modern adaptations of the tale. Dahl’s version of the tale introduces the idea that women no longer require protection by men any longer because they can handle their own situation.

            Fairy tales remain a relevant form of entertainment for adults and children alike. “Little Red Riding Hood” continues to captivate audiences with few changes. Many of the contemporary versions we are familiar with now are directly tied to Perrault’s version. Little Red Riding Hood continues to evolve and meet the needs and expectations of society.

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

Works Cited

Mavrogenes, Nancy A. and Joan S. Cummins. What Ever Happened to Little Red Riding Hood?             A Study of a Nursery Tale and Its Language. 01 Jan. 1976. EBSCOhost,           ezproxy.latech.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d    b=eric&AN=ED132576&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Rholetter, Wylene, PhD. "Little Red Riding Hood." Salem Press Encyclopedia, January.             EBSCOhost,ezproxy.latech.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?d            irect=true&db=ers&AN=94895779&site=eds-live&scope=site.

"Scene from Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault. From El Mundo Ilustrado, Published    Barcelona, Circa 1880." Bridgeman Images, edited by Bridgeman Images, 2014. Credo        Reference, http://ezproxy.latech.edu:2048/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fliterati.           credoreference.com%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Fbridgemanwel%2Fscene_from_little_red_r            iding_hood_by_charles_perrault_from_el_mundo_ilustrado_published_barcelona_circa_  1880%2F0%3FinstitutionId%3D3454. Accessed 17 Apr 2017.

Shavit, Zohar. “The Concept of Childhood and Children’s Folktales.” The Classic Fairy Tales,      edited by Maria Tatar, 1st ed., W.W. Norton and Company, 1999, pp. 317-332.

Shea, Rachael Hartigan. “What Wide Origins You Have, Little Red Riding Hood!”National         Geographic, National Geographic Society, 14 Apr. 2017, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131129-little-red-riding-hood-folktale- tehrani-anthropology-science/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2017.

Tatar, Maria ed. The Classic Fairy Tales. New York., W.W. Norton., 1999.