Italian Folktales is a collection of 200 Italian folktales published in 1956 by Italo Calvino. Calvino began the project in 1954. Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale influenced him. His intention was to emulate the Brothers Grimm in producing a popular collection of Italian fairy tales for the general reader. He did not compile tales from listeners, but made extensive use of the existing work of folklorists; he noted the source of each individual tale, but warned that was merely the version he used.
The story seems to be aimed at children yet the hint at cannibalism seems to make it intended for adults. The story is not educational as the mother gives her no instructions and there is no clear moral at the end of the story. The tale seems to be for amusement or to glorify the rational mind. The intended audience is not a scholar and the tale is not written in a literary style. The style is very simple and told in the way a regular person or a child might tell the story. Giulio Einaudi commissioned the book.
This tale is somewhat different to that of Perrault and the Grimm Brothers. Like in the Grimm version, there is a happy ending for the girl, whereas in Perrault the girl and the grandmother are eaten. The grandmother doesn't survive. The Jordan River and the Rake Gate are included in the tale. This gives the tale a religious feel, which is different from the previous versions. Instead of a wolf, there is a hairy ogress, which is interesting. It gives an element of fantasy to the tale. It takes away the male threat and makes female the threat to children. The story may suggest the threat of the female to the community, the general move towards reason, the threat of famine, and adoption of Marxist ideas.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Accapella Bad Wolf
I thought that this was an interesting interpretation of the wolf. I thought of it when I was reading the Perrault version which makes the wolf a sexual predator and LLRH a sexual figure. Likewise, the song presents the wolf as a sexual predator disguised as a courtly lover or gentleman. The sexual threat is coded in the hip thrusts, which we find funny. To trick LLRH he plays the gentleman or courtly lover. He compliments her, tells her her big her heart is and offers to escort her. The song plays with us by changing up the conventional phrases and presents them from the wolf's perspective. "What big eyes you have?" and "What full lips you have?" The song makes LRRH sexual charged just as Perrault.
January 27, 2009 11:02 PM
Thurber's Version
As Shavit has pointed out, the audience is a very important element to consider when comparing different versions of fairy tales. The version of Little Red Riding Hood that I particularly enjoyed the most was James Thurber's, because I like the comical elements he places in it, particularly the moral at the end of the story.
Thurber wrote this story in the 1930's, and this is crucial not only to the audience, but is also revealing about the culuture that is reading it. The most telling aspect about the audience and culture is contained in the moral at the end: "it is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be." By why is this important? To me, I see this as a comment on the creation of the "new woman. " By having the wolf be killed by this female character who seems very prepared to be on her own (she certainly is not intimidated by a male aggressor) he is triumphing this new woman. The culture of the time has started to get used to a more liberated woman, and this is reinforced by Thurber's telling. The girl does not need to rely on a man to save her, just as women of the time were becoming more independent of men (I am aware that Thurber's is not the only version that has this happen.)
As far as audience, I feel that it is geared towards most readers, but perhaps mostly older audiences. While it would be benefiical for younger readers (particularly girls) to feel empowered with the ability to defeat a menacing character like the wolf, older audiences are more likely to appreciate the moral, which reminds us of the previous struggles of women, and their ability to overcome them.
Thurber wrote this story in the 1930's, and this is crucial not only to the audience, but is also revealing about the culuture that is reading it. The most telling aspect about the audience and culture is contained in the moral at the end: "it is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be." By why is this important? To me, I see this as a comment on the creation of the "new woman. " By having the wolf be killed by this female character who seems very prepared to be on her own (she certainly is not intimidated by a male aggressor) he is triumphing this new woman. The culture of the time has started to get used to a more liberated woman, and this is reinforced by Thurber's telling. The girl does not need to rely on a man to save her, just as women of the time were becoming more independent of men (I am aware that Thurber's is not the only version that has this happen.)
As far as audience, I feel that it is geared towards most readers, but perhaps mostly older audiences. While it would be benefiical for younger readers (particularly girls) to feel empowered with the ability to defeat a menacing character like the wolf, older audiences are more likely to appreciate the moral, which reminds us of the previous struggles of women, and their ability to overcome them.
James Thurber's "The Little Girl and the Wolf"
In his essay, Shavit investigates the concept of childhood through an analysis of different versions of "Little Red Riding Hood," namely those of the Brothers Grimm and Perrault. The differences in the two tales is striking, and Shavit offers a detailed explanation as to why. In Perrault's time, the idea of "childhood" did not exist, nor did the notion of an educational system. Therefore it makes sense why Perrault's tale is geared towards an adult, elite audience while the Grimms' version leans toward a youthful audience. The time (century) in which each tale was written (or adapted) played a profound role on the tone, intended audience, moral and ending of each piece.
I found James Thurber's interpretation of "Little Red Riding Hood" the most intriguing, and entertaining. The tale is very short and assumes that the audience is familiar with the story of LRRH. The tale offers no explanation of why the wolf knows that a little girl is going to come skipping through the woods with food for her sick grandmother. Therefore, it is clearly not an educative piece meant for the maleable minds of youth. The tale then proceeds without offering much detail until the Little Girl "had approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed." Clearly, no child would have the slightest concept of spatial orientation in terms of feet and numerical distance. This quotation only furthers the notion that like Perrault, adults are Thurber's target audience. He then makes a contemporary allusion to the Metro-Goldwyn lion and Calvin Coolidge. So not only is his target audience of the adult age, but they must also be learned and intelligent.
Now that the piece's intended audience has been addressed, let's move onto the general tone of the fairy tale. The final sentence before the moral goes as follows: "So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead." Like Perrault, Thurber does not employ a happy ending intended for the education of young minds. Of course, he puts a modern spin on things... yet again targeting his adult audience.
I found James Thurber's interpretation of "Little Red Riding Hood" the most intriguing, and entertaining. The tale is very short and assumes that the audience is familiar with the story of LRRH. The tale offers no explanation of why the wolf knows that a little girl is going to come skipping through the woods with food for her sick grandmother. Therefore, it is clearly not an educative piece meant for the maleable minds of youth. The tale then proceeds without offering much detail until the Little Girl "had approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed." Clearly, no child would have the slightest concept of spatial orientation in terms of feet and numerical distance. This quotation only furthers the notion that like Perrault, adults are Thurber's target audience. He then makes a contemporary allusion to the Metro-Goldwyn lion and Calvin Coolidge. So not only is his target audience of the adult age, but they must also be learned and intelligent.
Now that the piece's intended audience has been addressed, let's move onto the general tone of the fairy tale. The final sentence before the moral goes as follows: "So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead." Like Perrault, Thurber does not employ a happy ending intended for the education of young minds. Of course, he puts a modern spin on things... yet again targeting his adult audience.
Dahl's “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”
The version of Little Red Riding Hood that I would like to focus on (and enjoyed the most) was Roald Dahl’s “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”, as well as his “The Three Little Pigs”. The main focus of Shavit’s analysis, when she compares Perrault’s version and the Grimm’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, is the audience. More specifically, whether the audience is focused towards children or adults, and how that is influenced by and representative of the time and culture during which the versions were written. The rhyme scheme that Dahl uses in his “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” suggests that the targeted audience is a child.
Dahl, having lived during the 20th century, would most likely gear his version towards a more modern audience. Even if one was not aware of the time during which Dahl lived, one could gather just from the poem that it was probably written relatively recently. One aspect of Dahl’s version that suggests this is that Little Red Riding Hood is presented as a clever, witty, independent female who is aware of dangerous male figures in her surroundings, and thus carries a pistol in her knickers and knows how to use it. In this respect, I also think that the audience is somewhat geared towards adults, in that it invites the enlightened female to identify with Little Red Riding Hood. The version continues to be geared towards children, however, in that it maintains the original moral of the story: there are dangerous strangers in the world that one must look out for, and also teaches children that women are just as able as, say, a trained huntsman.
The poem suggests that it is representative of a more modern time through its emphasis on material goods and the significance of fashion. For example, Little Red Riding Hood totes around in her “WOLFSKIN COAT” at the end of “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”. One also sees this fearless (and somewhat cold) female in Dahl’s “Three Little Pigs”. She helps the pig out only to kill him and make herself a pigskin traveling case.
Lastly, both poems suggest that they were written recently, since they are clearly remakes of the old fairy tale. Dahl assumes that his audience is familiar with the Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs fairy tales since he includes a “guest appearance” of Little Red Riding Hood in his Three Little Pigs version.
Dahl, having lived during the 20th century, would most likely gear his version towards a more modern audience. Even if one was not aware of the time during which Dahl lived, one could gather just from the poem that it was probably written relatively recently. One aspect of Dahl’s version that suggests this is that Little Red Riding Hood is presented as a clever, witty, independent female who is aware of dangerous male figures in her surroundings, and thus carries a pistol in her knickers and knows how to use it. In this respect, I also think that the audience is somewhat geared towards adults, in that it invites the enlightened female to identify with Little Red Riding Hood. The version continues to be geared towards children, however, in that it maintains the original moral of the story: there are dangerous strangers in the world that one must look out for, and also teaches children that women are just as able as, say, a trained huntsman.
The poem suggests that it is representative of a more modern time through its emphasis on material goods and the significance of fashion. For example, Little Red Riding Hood totes around in her “WOLFSKIN COAT” at the end of “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”. One also sees this fearless (and somewhat cold) female in Dahl’s “Three Little Pigs”. She helps the pig out only to kill him and make herself a pigskin traveling case.
Lastly, both poems suggest that they were written recently, since they are clearly remakes of the old fairy tale. Dahl assumes that his audience is familiar with the Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs fairy tales since he includes a “guest appearance” of Little Red Riding Hood in his Three Little Pigs version.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Assignment 3- 27.Jan 2009
Hi Alex, Jasmine, Allison, Tim and Alexandria,
Below is the assignment, to which you will send in responses by Midnight on Tuesday.
You have read Shavit's essay comparing the Perrault and Grimm versions of'Little Red Riding Hood'. Using Shavit's method, consider one of the other versions you read for this week (Dahl, Calvino, Thurber, Chiang Mi). With a little research (you may use Wikipedia, since this is not a research paper),outline who you think the audience is and what the fairy tale's retelling says about the culture and time in which it is written.
Looking forward to your posts,
Ann
Below is the assignment, to which you will send in responses by Midnight on Tuesday.
You have read Shavit's essay comparing the Perrault and Grimm versions of'Little Red Riding Hood'. Using Shavit's method, consider one of the other versions you read for this week (Dahl, Calvino, Thurber, Chiang Mi). With a little research (you may use Wikipedia, since this is not a research paper),outline who you think the audience is and what the fairy tale's retelling says about the culture and time in which it is written.
Looking forward to your posts,
Ann
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