Tony Ross

One of my favourite modern versions of Red Riding Hood is the one by Tony Ross. He twists the ending so that the wolf is turned upside down and out tumble Granny and Red Riding Hood from his belly. It is this humour that appeals to children. You could say this is a 'child friendly' version of the story as the wolf is not killed in the end. Instead he vows to turn vegetarian and do community service.

contemporary illustrations

This contemporary drawing of Little Red Riding Hood is by Maria Hayes. I like the simple style of the illustration and feel that children would also enjoy it.

Real Life Fairytales

Little Red Riding Hood is often used as a message of ‘stranger danger’ by parents, to warn their children of the dangers of straying from the path.
One of the most publicised cases of stranger danger recently is that of Madeleine Mccann. Madeleine was abducted on May 3rd whilst on holiday in Portugal. Over 77000 children are reported missing each year. Child abduction offences have increased from 350 in 1995 to 1028 in 2006. Most child abduction convictions are not successful abductions but failed attempts made by strangers. These commonly involve children being enticed into cars with sweets and toys or being physically dragged from a public place. It is interesting to note that most victims are female. 9% of all stranger abduction attempts are successful.
The prospect of losing a child is unbearable to a parent and this is why Red Riding Hood and other stories are used to make children aware of the dangers that are out there. How ironic it seems that in this photograph madeliene is wearing a red jacket, just like that of Little Red Riding Hood.

The Company of Wolves

In this image from the 1984 film 'The Company of Wolves' the young girl looks frightened as she makes her way through the forest. Sarah Patterson was the actress who played the part of the red cloaked heroine. The red cloak and red lips symbolise passion. This shows the viewer that the girl is on the verge of womanhood.

Angela Carter and 'The Company of Wolves'

Angela Carter is a well known feminist author. One of her most famous books is 'The Bloody Chamber' which is a collection of stories. The stories are retellings of famous fairytales, retold from a feminist point of view. 'The Company of Wolves' is Carter's version of Little Red Riding Hood. The short story was later made into a film in 1984 by Neil Jordan. The book and film versions are about the sexual awakening of a young woman who meets a werewolf whilst walking through the forest to her Grandmother's house. At the end of the book the young woman lies curled up in the arms of the wolf. In the film the girl too becomes a wolf, her own animal instincts causing her transformation.

Gustave Dore and Charles Perrault

This image has been a source of debate for many years now, however it is often overlooked, as Little Red Riding Hood is now so familiar as an innocent nursery rhyme. In 1976, Freudian analyst Bruno Bettelheim used the image for the front cover of his new book, ‘The Uses of Enchantment’. However Bettelheim did not use the original image. He retouched the original drawing by placing a circular shape on the girl’s cheek, almost as if she is blushing. Therefore Red Riding Hood is no longer a sweet, innocent, frightened girl but a young woman filled with sexual curiosity. I haven’t yet decided how I feel about this opinion.

For my Graphic Arts Research Project I am looking at the well known and loved fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. The tale has been retold many times and illustrated by many different artists. The most famous versions of the text are by writers Charles Perrault and The Brothers Grimm. Renowned illustrators Gustave Dore and Arthur Rackham have both illustrated Little Red Riding Hood. The Charles Perrault version was illustrated by Gustave Dore and the Grimm’s version by Arthur Rackham. The moral of the story is clear in both versions:

Do not stray from the path or you will be in grave danger. Do not talk to strangers. Also, young girls should be wary of certain young men (wolves) no matter how charming they may seem.

This illustration is by Gustave Dore from the Perrault version. I feel the drawing is so effective as it is black and white. This adds to the dark nature of the story. Red Riding Hood has met the wolf in the woods. She looks wide eyed and curious rather than frightened by the creature.