Little Red Riding Hood 1
Early History and Context of Fairy Tale Illustrations
General Context and Origins: The lecture provides a historical overview of the visual culture surrounding fairy tales, specifically "Little Red Riding Hood."
The earliest fairy tale illustrations appeared as black and white woodcuts dating back to the century.
The real emergence of fairy tale illustrations and a robust visual culture took place in the century in Europe.
This shift coincided with the transformation of fairy tales into a genre specifically intended for children.
Circulation and Accessibility: Illustrations were initially introduced to middle-class homes through anthologies such as the Grimms’ Kinder- und Hausm$\text{"a}$rchen.
Visual culture quickly spread to all social classes via inexpensive broadsides and chapbooks, similar to the circulation of "Bluebeard."
Consistency of Imagery: Despite the existence of thousands of illustrated anthologies and chapbooks, there is very little variation in the specific scenes chosen for representation in "Little Red Riding Hood."
Major Illustrated Scenes and Symbolic Meanings
The Three Core Scenes: Illustrations consistently focus on three points in the narrative:
The mother addressing the daughter as she departs for her grandmother’s house.
Little Red Riding Hood’s initial encounter with the wolf.
The wolf in the grandmother’s bed, positioned to devour Little Red Riding Hood.
Interpretive Function of Illustrations: Scholars argue these three scenes emphasize key motifs and reinforce a specific interpretation:
They highlight the heroine’s initial transgression.
They show her willingness to engage with the wolf.
They depict her subsequent punishment.
Conclusion: The illustrations reinforce the shift from the oral tradition to the literary version, moving from a story of initiation to a didactic moral tale that blames the girl for the wolf’s attack.
Contrasting Oral vs. Literary Traditions:
Oral Tradition: Exemplified by "The Story of Grandmother." It is interpreted (per Yvonne Verdier’s feminist psychoanalytic reading) as a young woman’s initiation into womanhood.
Literary Versions: Characterized by a moralizing tone that holds the heroine responsible for her own victimization.
Iconography and Key Artistic Depictions
The Shift in Age: Early non-book representations often depicted Little Red Riding Hood as an adolescent, consistent with the oral tradition, whereas book illustrations shifted toward depicting her as a much younger child.
Gustave Dor$\text{"e}$ (1862): These engravings for Perrault’s tales are among the most iconic and influential.
The Gaze: Red looks directly into the wolf’s eyes with a faint smile and a tilted head, suggesting longing or "innocent seduction" rather than fear.
Gender Transgression: For a female to gaze directly at a male (even a wolf) is seen as a transgression of proper gender norms.
Proximity: The figures are in close proximity, suggesting an intimate conversation.
Patriarchal Logic: The illustration implies Red’s desire motivates the tale. It reinforces the idea that women "lure" men to attack them to absolve themselves of their own taboo sexual desires, and that men are "weak animals" unable to control their natural desires when tempted.
The Symbolism of the Woods: The woods represent a space "outside of society," lacking conventions and restrictions, making it a natural setting for the fulfillment of desire.
Herman Eschke, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf: The woods dominate the scene, and the characters appear to be enjoying an intimate picnic without fear.
Walter Crane (1882): Illustrations for the Grimms' tales depict the wolf as anthropomorphized, standing on hind legs and wearing peasant clothes.
Patriarchal Surveillance: Woodcutters are shown at the edge of the illustration, representing societal surveillance that forces the characters to communicate only through mutual gazes.
John Gruelle (1914): Even in cartoonish styles, Red maintains the wolf’s gaze while the wolf licks his chops in anticipation.
Sexualization and Seduction in Popular Culture
Seduction vs. Punishment: While literary versions punish Red’s transgression, popular culture has often used her image to represent explicit sexuality and seduction.
Tex Avery, "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943): This animated short represents an early example of Red as a highly sexualized, adult figure.
Max Factor Advertisement (1953): An ad for "Riding Hood Red" lipstick uses the tagline: ‘Wear Riding Hood red at your own sweet risk… we warn you, you’re going to be followed! It’s a rich, succulent red that turns the most innocent look into a tantalizing invitation.’
This explicitly links innocence with seduction and invitation.
Toyota Advertisement: A Celica ad features a broken-down car and a wolf racing by with a tongue-wagging smile and the tagline "Performance you can use."
Interpretations include the wolf beating Red to Granny’s or the wolf escaping from Red’s