Little Red Riding Hood

Anna KochmanProf. Paul CarlosSenior Thesis i / Fall 2011pucd 4205 f / crn 5339

For my thesis I am going to design a book with multiple threads of narratives based on the literary tale, Little Red Riding Hood. The book will juxtapose Charles Perrault’s 17th century version of the tale with radical 20th century revisionary tales. Perrault’s version, as well as countless subsequent versions of Little Red Riding Hood, purported conservative moral codes and a low opin­ion of women.1 A particular fairy tale embodies a discourse that becomes culturally relevant; in the case of Little Red Riding Hood this discourse concerns information about cultural issues such as rape and gender roles. 2 20th century experimentations with the tale updated this discourse. I want to create a unique anthology of Little Red Riding Hood tales, illustrating this experimentation with a traditional tale in an interactive way, in order to reinvigo­rate this discourse and revive a classic story for an adult audience. This will be achieved through manipultions of conventional typo­graphic and book formats.

1,2 Zipes, Jack. The trials & tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 1993. Print.

Notes

The Significance and Relevance of Fairy Tales

Literary fairy tales became popular after the advent of the printing press in th 15th century and remain popular. 1

“. . .Above all we must be wary of those who claim that their interpretation is the only right one. Many truths are sometimes better than one.” (Lutz Röhrich, Quest of Meaning) 2

Criticism allows readers to question tradition.

Fairy tales are not static and and can be modified based on the psychological makeup of the narrator as well as the cultural environment of the narrator / reader. 3

“Storytelling plays a vital role in helping to understand the positive and negative values of tradition.”4

Criticism, instead of allowing the reader not to think about the traditional tale, enables the reader to reflect on the tales in a more sophisticated way.”5

Women have traditionally been portrayed as passive in fairy tales like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Bluebeard, and Little Red Riding Hood. 6

Since the beginning of the 21st century the fairy tale has expanded to include drama, poetry, film, ballet, music, and opera, and began to be used as way to make social commentary (particulary in the case of feminism), marking a distinct shift from divertissement to provocation.6

3,6 Hallett, Martin, and Barbara Karasek. “Criticism.” Folk & fairy tales. 3rd ed. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2002. 363-444. Print.

2,5 Joosen, Vanessa. Critical and Creative Perspectives on Fairy Tales. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2011. Print.

1,4 Zipes, Jack. Why fairy tales stick: the evolution and relevance of a genre. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

6 Zipes, Jack. “Spells of Enchantment: an Overview of the History of Fairy Tales.” New York: Routledge, 1999. Print.

7-11 Zipes, Jack. The trials & tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 1993. Print.

Revising Little Red Riding Hood

Originally an oral folk tale warning about werewolves, and was a celebration of a young girl’s coming of age. 7

Perrault wrote his version in 1697 and it reflected his low opinion of women and peasants.8

Perrault added the red hood, associated with sin, sensuality, and the devil. 9

Perrault’s versions remained the basis for the telling of the story up through the 20th century, reinforcing patriarchal views and making the story more appropriate for children. 10

Major changes made to Little Red Riding Hood after ww1 such as giving the girl the power, changing the narrative structure, telling the story from the perspective of the wolf, etc., for an adult readership. 11

Film, Photography, and Illustration

Visual representations of Little Red Riding Hood

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From left to right: 1 “Red Riding Hood and the Wolf ” by Gustav Dore (1867), 2 “The Girl and theWolf ” by James Thurver (1939), 3 Max Factor Ad in Vogue (1953), 4 “Freeway” directed by Mathew Bright (1996), 5 KimCattrall in a Pepsi One Ad (2001), 6 Photographic illustration of the tale by Charles Perrault by Sarah Moon (1985), 7 “The Company of Wolves” directed by Neil Lane 8 “Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories” directed by David Kaplan (1997)

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Precedents and Inspiration

Books that have unconventional layouts / interactive elements

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From left to right: 1­2 “229” by AlfonsHooikas, 3­4 “Der Seltsame Fall Dr.Jekyll und Mr.Hyde” by Christopher Jung, Tobias Wenig, 5 “Detlef Fielder Form and Zweck Magazine Spread” by Daniela Haufe, 6 “Emigre Magazine Spread” by Denise Gonzales Crisp, 7 “A Piece of String” by Jeong In Cha, 8 Polyglot Bible, 9 “Abendshau vs. Bergkristall” by Miriam Visser, Julia Neuroth

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Precedents and Inspiration

Books that have unconventional layouts / interactive elements

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From left to right: 1­2 “The Apikoros Slueth” by Robert Majzels, 3 “The Floating World” by Tomato, 4 “Cai Guo Qiang: Head On” by Stefan Sagmeister, 5 “The Best of Wim T. Shippers” by Thonik, 6 “What A Load of Rubbish” by Vaughan Ward, 7 “Two Poems” by Steve Miller, Paul Moxon

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Sketches and Mock-ups

Beginning to implement ideas / concepts