Red Riding Hood 2

The story begins...

1

There was a lonely cabin
Within a dark, old wood,
And in it, with her mother
There dwelt Red Riding Hood.
The tall old trees above them
Their winter fire supplied
When Autumn's flaming sunsets
From their red leaves had died.

There

was

cabin

Within

wood

And

with

her

mother

There

dwelt

Red

Riding

Hood

The

old

trees

above

them

Their

winter

When

Autumns

flaming

sunsets

From

their

red

leaves

Notes:

"Little Red Riding Hood can be traced back to the 10th century when it circulated as a French oral story, and it also existed as a 14th-century Italian story called The False Grandmother. It was popular under that name only during the 1690s, when the French folklore writer Charles Perrault published it in his tales collection. It quickly set itself as one of the most precious and famous fairy tales in the western world."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

2

The rippling brook, their water
From far off mountains brought;
And prattled of their summits
In icy statues wrought.
For them, the squirrels hoarded
Their nuts in hollow trees;
And pounds of sweetest honey
Were made them by the bees;

The

rippling

brook

their

water

From

off

mountain

brought

And

prattled

off

their

icy

statues

For

them

the

squirrels

Their

trees

And

pounds

honey

Were

them

the

bees

Notes:

"Red color - red color in fairy tales is often used to symbolize passion, source of life, maturity, and love. Since Little Red Riding Hood is covered with the red hood she's covered in the maturity color meaning she's ready for a passionate and intimate relationship."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

3

To gather these together
Was work enough to do;
Little Red Riding Hood thought so,
An so, no doubt, would you.
Blushing beneath her fingers
Looked up the berries red;
The flowers seemed to know her
And listened for her tread.

gather

these

Was

Red

Riding

Hood

would

you

Blushing

beneath

her

fingers

Looked

the

berries

red

The

flowers

her

And

listened

for

her

4

For she was good and loving
And beautiful as good,
With daily acts of kindness,
Little Red Riding Hood.
Afar off, in the forest,
There lived her grandam old;
And she was poor and needy,
And often sick and cold.

For

she

was

and

And

With

acts

Red

Riding

Hood

the

forest

her

grandam

And

she

was

and

And

and

5

And once a week, her grandchild
Would walk the lonely wood,
And carry little bundles
Of faggots and of food.
One morn the mother started
The maid upon her way,
And said, "now you must carry
To grandmamma to day. "

And

once

week

her

grandchild

Would

the

wood

And

carry

bundles

faggots

and

food

morn

the

mother

The

maid

upon

her

And

said

now

you

carry

grandmamma

6

"This little pot of butter
I've churned so nice and sweet;
And mind not stop and prattle
With any one you meet! "
Then through the shady forest
The little maiden went;
And though her steps were fleetest,
The day was well nigh spent,

This

pot

butter

Ive

churned

and

And

and

With

any

you

the

forest

The

maiden

went

And

though

her

were

fleetest

The

was

nigh

spent

Notes:

"Little Red Riding Hood is a beautiful, young girl whose mother tells her to take a cake and a pot of butter to her sick grandmother. She puts on her red hood her grandmother gave her, goes her own way, and enters the woods. The hood that covers her hair symbolizes that she is inaccessible to men, but the red color represents sin and sexual impurity. Entering the forest symbolizes danger and transformation."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

7

When nearby through her journey,
An old, gaunt Wolf she spied,
Who wagged his tail, and humbly
Came walking by her side;
And said, "my little maiden,
How very fair you are!
You really look quite handsome!
Where do you walk so far? "

When

nearby

her

journey

old

gaunt

Wolf

she

Who

wagged

his

and

Came

her

And

maiden

How

you

are

You

look

Where

you

walk

Notes:

"The hood - in the 17th century, when Little Red Riding Hood was written, the hair of an adult girl was the most powerful attribute when it came to attracting a man. A hood covering a girl's hair should send a message that she's not available, making the wolf's progress even more disturbing. It also symbolizes the "growing up" of the little girl and her grandmother gives her a red hood meaning she's entering adulthood."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

8

Forgetful of her mother,
She stopped and told him where;
Then said the Wolf, so cunning,
"What is it that you bear? "
Forgetful of her mother,
She stood and told him what;
"Tis butter, for my grandma,
Packed nicely in this pot. "

Forgetful

her

mother

She

and

him

where

the

Wolf

cunning

What

that

you

her

mother

She

and

told

him

what

Tis

butter

for

grandma

this

pot

Notes:

"Upon entering the forest, the girl encounters a hungry wolf who deceitfully asks her where her grandmother lives. The wolf tells the girl that he will run her to her grandmother's house, giving himself a shorter route and running as fast as he can. The wolf should symbolize a manipulative man."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

9

Then said the Wolf, "good by dear;
Perhaps we'll meet again! "
Then swiftly on he hastened,
Swiftly through dale and glen,
And running reached before her
The cabin grey and old;
Her grandmamma was absent--
He quickly did infold

the

Wolf

bye

Perhaps

well

again

hastened

the

dale

and

glen

And

before

her

The

cabin

and

Her

grandmamma

was

quickly

did

infold

Notes:

"Forest - in many fairy tales the protagonist goes deeper into the forest. Trees seem to be an endless source of inspiration in folklore. There is much speculation as to why the forest is so important in fairy tales, but we can also stick to the obvious: most people in medieval or pre-medieval times lived near forests. The existence of people is almost always closely linked to wood, but forests also pose an unknown, albeit very serious, danger."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

10

Himself in cap and night gown
Then quickly on the bed,
Closely upon the pillow
He laid his grizzly head.
Red Riding Hood soon entered;
"O, grandmamma, see here!
A little pot of butter! "
Where is my grandma dear?

Himself

cap

and

quickly

the

bed

Closely

upon

the

pillow

his

grizzly

head

Red

Riding

Hood

soon

entered

grandmamma

here

pot

butter

Where

grandma

Notes:

"In psychoanalysis, the forest symbolizes unconsciousness. Leonard Lutwack goes even further and marks it as untamed female sexuality. Why? The forest is a very fertile place, but also wild, uncultivated, and unpredictable.

It is no coincidence that many popular heroes and heroines (Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks) have to get lost in the woods just to return as more responsible (and we can say domesticated) people. Important transformations of characters within folklore always take place in the forest."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

11

"Here," said the Wolf, well feigning,
Her grandma's voice, so weak;
"I'm here, so sick my darling,
That I can scarcely speak! "
"Take off your clothes my darling,
Upon the bed come lie;
When you are here beside me
I'll be better by and by! "

Here

the

Wolf

Her

grandmas

here

That

can

speak

your

clothes

Upon

the

bed

come

When

you

are

here

beside

Ill

and

Notes:

"Cake and pot of butter - while Brothers Grimm opted for a few cakes and a bottle of wine, Charles Perrault opted for cake and butter. Erich Fromm explained that the pot or the bottle in Little Red Riding Hood is a symbol of innocence. The shape of the bottle is phallic, but as a bottle it is fragile. In dream analysis, a bottle can also represent suppression of feelings: instead of letting them out, they are bottled. The bottle must also be opened (or broken) to release the trapped spirit."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

12

Red Riding Hood obeyed her
And got upon the bed;
"O grandmamma how altered
You are! " she quickly said
"O what GREAT EYES my grandma!
They never looked so before-- "
"That's to see you the better my darling,
The larger, to see you more! "

Red

Riding

Hood

her

And

upon

the

bed

grandmamma

how

altered

You

are

she

quickly

what

grandma

They

never

looked

before

Thats

you

the

The

see

you

Notes:

"Wolf - the wolf symbolizes chaos and death. There are other stories with wolves included such as The Three Little Pigs or The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids and apart from these examples, the clearest sign of the wolf symbolizes such negative attributes of the material world, and animal desires arise from various questions posed by Little Red Riding Hood. Every question she derives from growing consciousness; it is her consciousness or soul that sees, hears, and feels. And that her senses have led her to a misperception of reality, because now she sees through the wolf's disguise - a little too late - but wakes up in the truth."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

Notes:

"The meaning, or moral, behind Little Red Riding Hood may vary depending on the interpretation being read. In some versions, the mother gives the girl special instructions to keep track and not to wander. Mother's instructions emphasize the moral importance of listening to and following instructions."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

13

"What a GREAT NOSE my grandma
It never looked so before! "
"That's to smell you better, my darling;
The larger to smell you more! "
"And what GREAT HANDS my grandma
They never looked so before! "
"That's to hold you tight my darling
And to hug you more and more! "

What

grandma

never

looked

before

Thats

you

The

you

And

what

grandma

They

never

looked

before

Thats

you

darling

And

you

and

"What a GREAT MOUTH my grandma!
As large as your tin cup! "
"That's to open wide my beauty
And then to eat you up! "
Then he opened his great mouth wider
To eat her like a bird
But at that dreadful moment
A hunter's gun was heard

What

MOUTH

grandma

your

tin

cup

Thats

And

eat

you

Then

his

mouth

eat

her

But

that

hunters

was

heard

15

The Wolf fell dead and bleeding--
Then grandma hastened in--
For she had seen the peril
The danger that had been!
Red Riding Hood wept sadly
And sorrowed more and more,
That she'd disobeyed her mother--
Which she never did before.

The

Wolf

and

grandma

hastened

For

she

the

The

that

been

Red

Riding

Hood

And

sorrowed

and

That

shed

disobeyed

her

mother

Which

she

never

did

before

Notes:

"The story of "Little Red Riding Hood" is full of symbolism indicating that Little Red Riding Hood is a story about growing up, and not just a children's story."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

16

And she thought with fear & trembling
Of the death that came so near!
And she said the fright had taught her
To mind her mother dear.
Then listen, all ye children,
And mind your mother's word!
For the great WOLF, men call EVIL
Is prowling round unheard!

And

she

with

the

that

came

near

And

she

the

her

mother

listen

children

And

your

mothers

word

For

the

WOLF

call

prowling

unheard

Notes:

"In short, Little Red Riding Hood is one of those fictional characters that we encounter in childhood and that remain as archetypes drawn in our imagination. How we should analyze the ultimate moral of the story remains unclear, but it may have stemmed from that ancient advice parents give to their children: don't talk to strangers. Or wolves. But somehow we lost that last part."

Extract taken from Book Summary.

Visualising the text of Red Riding Hood

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How to Read

The story begins...

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The End