Leiden University Student Repository

Valk, Michelle Arnoldine Egbertine 2018

Being Big and Being Bad: The Wolf and the Hunter in Four Versions of Little Red Riding Hood

Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)

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The purpose of this dissertation is to establish to what extent the wolf and the hunter in Little Red Riding Hood stories have, over time, developed into complex characters that will allow for a...Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation is to establish to what extent the wolf and the hunter in Little Red Riding Hood stories have, over time, developed into complex characters that will allow for a wide variety of masculine role models. To achieve this, four versions of the tale have been analysed and compared: “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” by Charles Perrault, “Rotkäppchen” by the Brothers Grimm, “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter, and Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George. This dissertation is meant as an addition to the existing feminist discourse on gender and fairy tales and the theoretical framework exists mainly of historical context to Perrault’s version of the story, Judith Butler’s theory of gender as a construct, Alexander Boon’s definition of the hero figure as masculine role model, and Riki Lane’s views on the relation between nature and nurture. Concluded, these male role models have become more complex, but they still offer only a limited array of masculine role models accepted by contemporary mainstream culture. It is important for this to change and more research into this topic is advisable.Show less