Comparison Of Little Red Riding Hood And Angela Carter's Fairy Tales

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Fairy tales have many adaptations and meanings. The stories are often a reflection of the location and culture they are written in. Furthermore, these stories take on the attributes of the author. In Charles Perrault’s older tale “Little Red Riding Hood” and Angela Carter’s contemporary adaptation “Wolf-Alice”, a change in inactive vs. active character occurs as a result of the author’s use of narrative focus, character development, and language.
One distinct difference between Charles Perrault’s, “Little Red Riding Hood” and Angela Carter’s, “Wolf-Alice” is the narrative focus. Perrault’s version follows the male character, outlining the wolf’s actions and motivations. The newer adaptation by Carter follows the female character, intimately describing her thought process and motivations. The older fairy tale versions were written by male editors/collectors, in a time where females were seen as the weaker sex, innocent, and more naïve. Carter was a female writer that challenged the way women were depicted. She took the stereotypical female character from the older fairy tales and turned them into liberated strong women, thereby making the female characters an active participant in the story.
Both authors acted differently in the development of their characters. Human qualities are attributed to …show more content…

Perrault shows Little Red Riding Hood as innocent and naïve, unaware of the happenings of life. The wolf tells Little Red Riding Hood to take her clothes off and climb into bed, which she does without hesitation. Upon answering all of Red Riding Hood’s questions the author writes “the wicked wolf threw himself on Little Red Riding Hood and gobbled her up” (Tatar, 11). Perrault’s use of suggestive language leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions as to the meaning of the story. Carter, however uses graphic and detailed language when telling her version. This is seen when she

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