Women's Literature

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

FoR WHAT 1s UNQUESTIONABLY ONE oftheclassicfairytales, "Little Red Rid­ ing Hood" is more surprising for what it lacks than for what it contains. There is no royalty, no enchantment, no romance-just a talking wolf with a big appetite. How then has the heroine of this tale become as famous a figure as her more glamorous cousins, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White? What is so remarkable about this stark little tale that describes the dramatic confrontation between an innocent little girl and a wicked wolf? How has it come about that the line "Grandmother, what big teeth you have!" is one of the most anticipated and familiar moments in all ofWestern literature, let alone fairy tale?

First of all, this is not a real wolf-and arguably neither child nor adult read­ er ever takes him as such. The first story in this section actually identifies him as a "bzou" or werewolf ("wer" is Old English for "man"), and, as Jack Zipes points out in his discussion of this version in The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood,

The direct forebears of Perrault's literary tale were not influenced by sun wor­ ship or Christian theology, but by the very material conditions of their ex­ istence and traditional pagan superstition. Little children were attacked and killed by animals and grownups in the woods and fields. Hunger often drove people to commit atrocious acts. In the 15th and 16th centuries, violence was difficult to explain on rational grounds. There was a strong superstitious be­ lief in werewolves and witches, uncontrollable magical forces of nature, which threatened the lives of the peasant population .... Consequently, the warning tale became part of a stock oral repertoire of storytellers. 1

Jack D. Zipes, ed., The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge,

1993), 23.

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FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

Although it was recorded only in 1885, scholars are in general agreement that "The Story of Grandmother" is likely very similar to the version that Charles Per­ rault heard two hundred years earlier. There are several intriguing aspects to this early version of the tale. The representation of the two paths through the forest as being of needles and pins is no doubt a play on the pine needles that carpet the forest floor; it may also be a sly reference to one of the domestic tasks that awaits feminine maturity. This tale also has a crudeness that underlines its folk origins-a conclu­ sion borne out by the fact that variants from other parts of the world contain similar scatological episodes.

Such an observation could also be made of an Italian version, "The False Grand­ mother;' 1 which contains similar gross-out details, albeit in a lighter vein. In other respects, however, the tale is quite different; for instance, the character of the girl is more fully developed, both in terms of her harmonious relationship with her en­ vironment and the sassiness she shows in defying her would-be attacker ("Hairy ogress!"). Indeed, the fact that the villain is female alters the whole impact of the tale, in that the sexual element is missing; now it highlights the risk of falling victim to the wiles of a con artist.

What we see in Perrault' s version is the adaptation of a crude folk tale to the more sophisticated tastes of high society. Paul Delarue, the editor of the collection from which "The Story of Grandmother" was taken, observes in his notes that "the com­ mon elements that are lacking in [Perrault's] story are precisely those which would have shocked the society of his period by their cruelness [sic] ... and their impropri­ ety:'2 Perrault removes all overt human aspects of his antagonist, relying simply on the powerful archetypal image of the wolf as predator and interloper. By way of com­ pensation for his excision of the tale's vulgarities, Perrault appears to be responsible for the artistic touch of the red riding hood; he would doubtless be both shocked and amused to learn how controversial an addition that turned out to be! He tells us that it's a "hood like the ones that fine ladies wear when they go riding;' which sug­ gests that he's again trying to link the tale with the world of his audience-but why is it red?We are confronted with a color symbolic of sexuality that provides a further hint about Perrault's own assumptions regarding this tale.

The endings of both "The Story of Grandmother" and "The False Grandmoth­ er" catch our eye because their happy outcome is attributable to the girl's practical

1 It is noteworthy that both titles of what are probably pre-Perrault versions draw our attention to the grand­

mother rather than to the girl, thereby changing the emphasis of the story. The Chinese title "Lon Po Po"

means "Granny Wolf' Is this further evidence that such tales were originally less concerned with the role

of the child?

2 Paul Delarue, comp., Borzoi Book of French Folk Tales, trans. Austin E. Fife (New York: Knopf, 1956), 383.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

quickwittedness-a quality that Perrault denies his heroine, in keeping with his bour­ geois assumptions about female naivete and vulnerability, which make Little Red Riding Hood into the wolf's unwitting accomplice. Perrault's tragic and presumably truncated ending, which catches the modem reader so much by surprise, goes against folk-tale custom, but it is clear that such an ending suited Perrault's purposes admira­ bly, given the Moral that he appended to the tale: "Children, especially pretty, nicely broughtup young ladies, ought never to talk to strangers ... " Just what induced Per­ rault to add his Morals to the tales is unclear, but it was surely a critical moment in the evolution of the fairy tale as children's literature; to this day, the belief has persisted that the purpose of a tale is to inculcate morals into young minds. We must remember that Perrault was a pioneer in recognizing the potential appeal of these tales and trans­ forming them from an oral into a literary form. As Jack Zipes points out,

Perrault's tale of"Little Red Riding Hood" had an unusually successful recep­ tion in the 18th century. In fact, it was one of the few literary tales in history which, due to its universality, ambivalence, and clever sexual innuendoes, was reabsorbed by the oral folk tradition. That is, as a result of its massive circula­ tion in print in the 18th and 19th centuries and of the corroboration of peasant experience, it took root in oral folklore and eventually led to the creation of the even more popular Grimms' tale, which had the same effect.1

When we tum to the Grimms' version, published over a hundred years later, we find a synthesis of the other three, with some intriguing additions. (Despite the Grimms' insistence that they were capturing the essence of the German spirit in their tales, it is surely not coincidental that the family that contributed this tale was of French extraction.) The red garment remains, as does the wolf; like Perrault, the Grimms choose to gloss over the cannibalistic snack that the girl unwittingly makes of her grandmother, and the "happy" ending has been restored-but only through the intervention of the paternalistic hunter, in a scene derived, according to Delarue, from another French tale, "The Goat and Her Kids." Nevertheless, it can be argued that the Grimm version is the most balanced, at least to the contemporary reader. The hunter presents an image of male goodness that counters the male wickedness of the wolf; the mother appears concerned about her daughter's correct behavior, if not her welfare-and the less familiar appended story, describing the defeat of a second wolf through the teamwork of a wiser girl and grandmother, sends a very different message from Perrault's harsh ending.

Zipes 31. 1

FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

The story of Little Red Riding Hood has for so long been an inescapable part of growing up in the English language that it is hard enough to contemplate its greater authenticity in French or German. It comes as an even greater shock, therefore, to realize how old and widespread the tale is in Asia; Delarue points out that versions of the tale are widely distributed in China, Japan, and Korea. 1

The Chinese "Lon Po Po" also reveals significant structural differences, but, on closer examination, we may be surprised to discover just how many of the elements from the previous versions are to be found here: as in "The Story of Grandmother" and "The False Grandmother," the children escape from the wolf's clutches by means of a clever ruse, and his final demise is brought about by much the same strategy as in the conclusion to "Little Red Cap" -that is, the roles are reversed and the would­ be victim gains the upper hand by exploiting the greed and self-indulgence that are central to the fairy-tale wolf's character.

In some respects, this Chinese version has a distinctly contemporary feel. The mother is described as a young widow who teaches her children carefully about the nature of the world; yet the time must come when her children will have to fend for themselves-and at that moment of crisis, the girls prove susceptible to the wolf's trickery. Despite their mistake, however, the sisters (led by the formidable Shang) are able to keep their wits about them and finally outsmart the deceitful wolf. The experience may have deprived them of at least some of their trust in those around them; by the same token, they-like Little Red Cap-will be less likely to be fooled a second time.

THE STORY OF GRANDMOTHER 2

Paul Delarue

THERE WAS ONCE A WOMAN who had some bread, and she said to her daugh­ ter: "You are going to carry a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to your grandmother:'

The little girl departed. At the crossroads she met the bzou,3 who said to her: "Where are you going?" 'Tm taking a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to my grandmother:' "What road are you taking," said the bzou, "the Needles Road or the Pins Road?"

1 In Alan Dundes, ed., Little Red Riding Hood: A Casebook (Madison: U ofW1Sconsin P, 1989 ), 13.

2 First collected in 1885;this text from Delarue, The Borzoi Book of French Folktales, trans. Austin E. Fife (New

York: Knopf, 1956).

3 Le., werewol£

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

"The Needles Road;' said the little girl. "Well, I shall take the Pins Road:' The little girl enjoyed herself picking up needles. Meanwhile the bzou arrived at

her grandmother's, killed her, put some of her flesh in the pantry and a bottle of her blood on the shel£ The little girl arrived and knocked at the door.

"Push the door;' said the bzou, "it's closed with a wet straw." "Hello, Grandmother; I'm bringing you a hot loaf and a bottle of milk:' "Put them in the pantry. You eat the meat that's in it and drink a bottle of wine

that is on the shelf' As she ate there was a little cat that said: "A slut is she who eats the flesh and

drinks the blood ofher grandmother!" "Undress, my child," said the bzou, "and come and sleep beside me:' "Where should I put my apron?" "Throw it in the fire, my child; you don't need it any more:' "Where should I put my bodice?" "Throw it in the fire, my child; you don't need it any more:' "Where should I put my dress?" "Throw it in the fire, my child; you don't need it any more:' "Where should I put my skirt?" "Throw it in the fire, my child; you don't need it any more:' "Where should I put my hose?" "Throw it in the fire, my child; you don't need it any more:' "Oh, Grandmother, how hairy you are!" "It's to keep me warmer, my child:' "Oh, Grandmother, those long nails you have!" "It's to scratch me better, my child!" "Oh, Grandmother, those big shoulders that you have!" "All the better to carry kindling from the woods, my child:' "Oh, Grandmother, those big ears that you have!" "All the better to hear with, my child:' "Oh, Grandmother, that big mouth you have!" "All the better to eat you with, my child!" "Oh, Grandmother, I need to go outside to relieve myself." "Do it in the bed, my child:' "Oh, Grandmother, I want to go outside:' "All right, but don't stay long:' The bzou tied a woolen thread to her foot and let her go out, and when the little

girl was outside she tied the end of the string to a big plum tree in the yard. The bzou

got impatient and said:

FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

"Are you making cables?" When he became aware that no one answered him, he jumped out ofbed and saw

that the little girl had escaped. He followed her, but he arrived at her house just at the moment she was safely inside.

THE FALSE GRANDMOTHER 1

Italo Calvino

A MOTHER HAD TO SIFT FLOUR, and told her little girl to go to her grand­ mother's and borrow the sifter. The child packed a snack-ring-shaped cakes and bread with oil-and set out.

She came to the Jordan River. "Jordan River, will you let me pass?" "Yes, if you give me your ring-shaped cakes:' The Jordan River had a weakness for ring-shaped cakes, which he enjoyed twirl­

ing in his whirlpools. The child tossed the ring-shaped cakes into the river, and the river lowered its

waters and let her through. The little girl came to the Rake Gate. "Rake Gate, will you let me pass?" "Yes, if you give me your bread with oil:' The Rake Gate had a weakness for bread with oil, since her hinges were rusty, and

bread with oil oiled them for her. The little girl gave the gate her bread with oil, and the gate opened and let her

through. She reached her grandmother's house, but the door was shut tight. "Grandmother, Grandmother, come let me in." 'Tm in bed sick. Come through the window:' "I can't make it:'

"Come through the cat door." "I can't squeeze through:' "Well, wait a minute;' she said, and lowered a rope, by which she pulled the

little girl up through the window. The room was dark. In bed was the ogress, not the grandmother, for the ogress had gobbled up Grandmother all in one piece from

1 From Italian Folktales, retold by Italo Calvino, trans. George Martin (New York: Pantheon, 1980 ).

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

head to toe, all except her teeth, which she had put on to stew in a small stew pan, and her ears, which she had put on to fry in a frying pan.

"Grandmother, Mamma wants the sifter." "It's late now. I'll give it to you tomorrow. Come to bed:' "Grandmother, I'm hungry, I want my supper first." "Eat the beans boiling in the boiler:' In the pot were the teeth. The child stirred them around and said, "Grandmother,

they're too hard:' "Well, eat the fritters in the frying pan:' In the frying pan were the ears. The child felt them with the fork and said, "Grand­

mother, they're not crisp:' "Well, come to bed. You can eat tomorrow." The little girl got into bed beside Grandmother. She felt one of her hands and

said, "Why are your hands so hairy, Grandmother?" "From wearing too many rings on my fingers." She felt her chest. "Why is your chest so hairy, Grandmother?" "From wearing too many necklaces around my neck:' She felt her hips. "Why are your hips so hairy, Grandmother?" "Because I wore my corset too tight." She felt her tail and reasoned that, hairy or not, Grandmother had never had a

tail. That had to be the ogress and nobody else. So she said, "Grandmother, I can't go to sleep unless I first go and take care of a little business:'

Grandmother replied, "Go do it in the barn below. I'll let you down through the trapdoor and then draw you back up:'

She tied a rope around her and lowered her into the barn. The minute the little girl was down she untied the rope and in her place attached a nanny goat. "Are you through?" asked Grandmother.

"Just a minute." She finished tying the rope around the nanny goat. "There, I've finished. Pull me back up."

The ogress pulled and pulled, and the little girl began yelling, "Hairy ogress! Hairy ogress!" She threw open the barn and fled. The ogress kept pulling, and up came the nanny goat. She jumped out of bed and ran after the little girl.

When the child reached the Rake Gate, the ogress yelled from a distance; "Rake Gate, don't let her pass!"

But the Rake Gate replied, "Of course I'll let her pass; she gave me her bread with oil."

When the child reached the Jordan River, the ogress shouted, "Jordan River, don't you let her pass!"

FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

But the Jordan River answered, "Of course I'll let her pass; she gave me her ring­ shaped cakes:'

When the ogress tried to get through, the Jordan River did not lower his waters, and the ogress was swept away in the current. From the bank the little girl made faces at her.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 1

CharlesPerrault

0 NCE UPON A TIME, DEEP in the heart of the country, there lived a pretty little girl whose mother adored her, and her grandmother adored her even more. This good woman made her a red hood like the ones that fine ladies wear when they go riding. The hood suited the child so much that soon everybody was calling her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day, her mother baked some cakes on the griddle and said to Little Red Rid­ ing Hood:

"Your granny is sick; you must go and visit her. Take her one of these cakes and a little pot of butter."

Little Red Riding Hood went off to the next village to visit her grandmother. As she walked through the wood, she met a wolf, who wanted to eat her but did not dare to because there were woodcutters working nearby. He asked her where she was going. The poor child did not know how dangerous it is to chatter away to wolves and replied innocently:

''I'm going to visit my grandmother to take her this cake and this little pot of but­ ter from my mother:'

"Does your grandmother live far away?" asked the wolf. "Oh yes;' said Little Red Riding Hood. "She lives beyond the mill you can see

over there, in the first house you come to in the village:' "Well, I shall go and visit her, too," said the wolf. "I will take thisroad and you shall

take that road and let's see who can get there first:' The wolf ran off by the shortest path and Red Riding Hood went off the longest

way and she made it still longer because she dawdled along, gathering nuts and chas­ ing butterflies and picking bunches of wayside flowers.

1 in 1697.First published This text from Sleeping Beauty and Other Favourite Fairy Tales, trans. Angela Carter

(London: Gollancz, 1982).

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

The wolf soon arrived at Grandmother's house. He knocked on the door, rat tat tat.

"Who's there?" "Your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood," said the wolf, disguising his

voice. "I've brought you a cake baked on the griddle and a little pot of butter from my mother."

Grandmother was lying in bed because she was poorly. She called out: "Lift up the latch and walk in!"

The wolf lifted the latch and opened the door. He had not eaten for three days. He threw himself on the good woman and gobbled her up. Then he closed the door behind him and lay down in Grandmother's bed to wait for Little Red Riding Hood. At last she came knocking on the door, rat tat tat.

"Who's there?" Little Red Riding Hood heard the hoarse voice of the wolf and thought that her

grandmother must have caught a cold. She answered: "It's your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood. I've brought you a cake baked

on the griddle and a little pot of butter from my mother:' The wolf disguised his voice and said: "Lift up the latch and walk in:' Little Red Riding Hood lifted the latch and opened the door. When the wolf saw her come in, he hid himself under the bedclothes and said to

her: "Put the cake and the butter down on the bread-bin and come and lie down with

Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and went to lie down in the bed. She was surprised to see how odd her grandmother looked. She said to her:

"Grandmother, what big arms you have!" "All the better to hold you with, my dear." "Grandmother, what big legs you have!" "All the better to run with, my dear:' "Grandmother, what big ears you have!" "All the better to hear with, my dear:' "Grandmother, what big eyes you have!" "All the better to see with, my dear!" "Grandmother, what big teeth you have!" "All the better to eat you up!" At that, the wicked wolf threw himself upon Little Red Riding Hood and gobbled

her up, too.

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FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

Moral Children, especially pretty, nicely brought-up young ladies, ought never to talk to strangers; if they are foolish enough to do so, they should not be surprised if some greedy wolf consumes them, elegant red riding hoods and all.

Now; there are real wolves, with hairy pelts and enormous teeth; but also wolves who seem perfectly charming, sweet-natured and obliging, who pursue young girls in the street and pay them the most flattering attentions.

Unfortunately, these smooth-tongued, smooth-pelted wolves are the most dan­ gerous beasts of all.

LITTLE RED CAP 1

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

ONCE THERE WAS A DEAR little girl whom everyone loved. Her grandmother loved her most of all and didn't know what to give the child next. Once she gave her a little red velvet cap, which was so becoming to her that she never wanted to wear anything else, and that was why everyone called her Little Red Cap. One day her mother said: "Look, Little Red Cap, here's a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to grandmother. She is sick and weak, and they will make her feel better. You'd better start now before it gets too hot; walk properly like a good little girl, and don't leave the path or you'll fall down and break the bottle and there won't be anything for grandmother. And when you get to her house, don't forget to say good morning, and don't go looking in all the comers:'

''I'll do everything right;' Little Red Cap promised her mother. Her grandmother lived in the wood, half an hour's walk from the village. No sooner had Little Red Cap set foot in the wood than she met the wol£ But Little Red Cap didn't know what a wicked beast he was, so she wasn't afraid ofhim. "Good morning, Little Red Cap;' he said. "Thank you kindly, wolf." "Where are you going so early, Little Red Cap?" "To my grandmother's." ''And what's that you've got under your apron?" "Cake and wine. We baked yesterday, and we want my grandmother, who's sick and weak, to have something nice that will make her feel better:' "Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Cap?" "In the wood, fifteen or twenty minutes' walk from here, under the three big oak trees. That's where the house is. It has hazel hedges around it. You must

First published in 1812/is, in the first edition ofKinder-und Hausmiirchen. Thistext from the second edition

(1819 ), from Grimms' Tales for Young and Old, trans. Ralph Manheim ( Garden City, NY: Anchor P, 1977 ).

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LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

know the place:' "How young and tender she is!" thought the wolf. "Why, she'll be even tastier than the old woman. Maybe if I'm crafty enough I can get them both." So, after walking along for a short while beside Little Red Cap, he said: "Little Red Cap, open your eyes. What lovely flowers! Why don't you look around you? I don't believe you even hear how sweetly the birds are singing. It's so gay out here in the wood, yet you trudge along as solemnly as if you were going to school:'

Little Red Cap looked up, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing this way and that between the trees and the beautiful flowers all around her, she thought: "Grand­ mother will be pleased ifl bring her a bunch of nice fresh flowers. It's so early now that I'm sure to be there in plenty of time:' So she left the path and went into the wood to pick flowers. And when she had picked one, she thought there must be a more beautiful one farther on, so she went deeper and deeper into the wood. As for the wolf, he went straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door. "Who's there?" "Little Red Cap, bringing cake and wine. Open the door:'"Just raise the latch;' cried the grandmother, 'Tm too weak to get out of bed:' The wolf raised the latch and the door swung open. Without saying a single word he went straight to the grandmother's bed and gobbled her up. Then he put on her clothes and her nightcap, lay down in the bed, and drew the curtains.

Meanwhile Little Red Cap had been running about picking flowers, and when she had as many as she could carry she remembered her grandmother and started off again. She was surprised to find the door open, and when she stepped into the house she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: "My goodness, I'm usually so glad to see grandmother. Why am I frightened today?" "Good morning," she cried out, but there was no answer. Then she went to the bed and opened the curtains. The grandmother had her cap pulled way down over her face, and looked very strange.

"Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!" "The better to hear you with:' "Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have!" "The better to see you with:' "Oh, grandmother, what big hands you have!" "The better to grab you with." "But, grandmother, what a dreadful big mouth you have!" "The better to eat you with:' And no sooner had the wolf spoken than he bounded out of bed and gobbled up

poor Little Red Cap. When the wolf had stilled his hunger, he got back into bed, fell asleep, and began

to snore very very loud. A hunter was just passing, and he thought: "How the old woman is snoring! I'd better go and see what's wrong:' So he stepped into the house and went over to the bed and saw the wolf was in it. "You old sinner!" he said, "I've

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FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

found you at last. It's been a long time:' He levelled his musket and was just about to fire when it occurred to him that the wolf might have swallowed the grandmother and that there might still be a chance of saving her. So instead of firing, he took a pair of scissors and started cutting the sleeping wolf's belly open. After two snips, he saw the little red cap, and after another few snips the little girl jumped out, crying: "Oh, I've been so afraid! It was so dark inside the wolf!" And then the old grandmother came out, and she too was still alive, though she could hardly breathe. Little Red Cap ran outside and brought big stones, and they filled the wolf's belly with them. When he woke up, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that his legs wouldn't carry him and he fell dead.

All three were happy; the hunter skinned the wolf and went home with the skin, the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine Little Red Cap had brought her and soon got well; and as for Little Red Cap, she said to herself: "Never again will I leave the path and run off into the wood when my mother tells me not to:'

Another story they tell is that when Little Red Cap was taking another cake to her old grandmother another wolf spoke to her and tried to make her leave the path. But Little Red Cap was on her guard. She kept on going, and when she got to her grandmother's she told her how she had met a wolf who had bidden her good day but given her such a wicked look that "if it hadn't been on the open road he'd have gobbled me right up:' "Well then;' said the grandmother, "we'll just lock the door and he won't be able to get in." In a little while the wolf knocked and called out: "Open the door, grandmother, it's Little Red Cap. I've brought you some cake." But they didn't say a word and they didn't open the door. So Grayhead circled the house once or twice and finally jumped on the roo£ His plan was to wait until evening when Little Red Cap would go home, and then he'd creep after her and gobble her up in the darkness. But the grandmother guessed what he had in mind. There was a big stone trough in front of the house, and she said to the child: "Here's a bucket, Little Red Cap. I cooked some sausages yesterday. Take the water I cooked them in and empty it into the trough." Little Red Cap carried water until the trough was full. The smell of the sausages rose up to the wolf's nostrils. He sniffed and looked down, and in the end he stuck his neck out so far that he couldn't keep his footing and began to slide. And he slid off the roof and slid straight into the big trough and was drowned. And Little Red Cap went happily home, and no one harmed her.