Copy of How it Looked in the Original English Translated Book

Children's literature is analyzed and evaluated in several different ways. The traditional approach to evaluating any type of literature is used, as well as some more contemporary models as society advances. The traditional approach evalutates the story based on very fundamental ideas of what comprises a story. These are the analysis of the elements 0f literature such as character, setting, narrative point of view, plot, conflict, theme, style, and tone. I will be analyzing the picture books of adaptations of Little Red Riding Hood based on this criteria. I will use the original translation of the story as the traditional written version and compare the other versions to it.

Characters: "At the heart of every good story are believable and memorable characters." (Russell 39)

protagonist: Little Red Riding Hood, a country girl that was the prettiest little girl ever born with the christian name Biddy

antagonist: Gossop wolf

flat characters: faggot-makers, little red Riding-Hood's mother, little red Riding-Hood's grandmother

round characters: none

dynamic character: non-existent because little red Riding-Hood gets eaten

static characters: Gossop wolf

foil character: Gossop wolf is used to highlight the goodness of little red Riding-Hood and her vunerablity to outside threats

Setting: "The setting refers to the time, geographical location, and general environment and circumstances that prevail in a narrative." (Russell 40)

~"There was once upon a time..." common setting for folktales

~ a village surrounded by wood

~ the grandmother's house and little red Riding Hood's house

Plot: a series of connected events throughout the narrative

foreshadowing: " ...she met with Gossop Wolfe, who had a good mind to eat her up..."

"The poor child, who did not know how dangerous a thing it is to stay and hear a Wolfe talk..."

dramatic plot: progresses in order of setting, conflict, rising action, climax, and conclusion

This folktale follows the dramatic plot outline. We are introduced to the setting first, "There was once upon a time a little country girl, born in a village, the prettiest little creature that was ever seen." Then the reader gets the information about the conflict that it going to happen. The reader finds out that the conflict is the grandmother, who lives in another village, is sick and little red Riding-Hood must take her some custards and butter. The rising action is the wolf who sees her in the wood alone, asks her where her grandmother lives, and the wolf eats the grandmother. the climax takes place when little red Riding-Hood sees the wolf dressed up as her grandmother. The conclusion is whne she gets eaten.

 

Conflict: an event that is usually a battle between good and evil or right and wrong (part of a plot)

ttypes include:

~protagonist against another (the wolf against little red Riding-Hood)

Theme: tells the reader the purpose of the story and plot, also referred to as the underlying meaning

~The discovery that ultimately we are all alone on our journey to maturity is fraught with struggle and danger

~especially to young ladies, do not be lured by a seductive "wolf" to lose virginity, or pureness

Style: the way in which the narrative is written

formula and repetition: "There was once upon a time..."

"Grandmamma, what great arms you have got! It is the better to embrace thee my pretty child. Grandmamma, what great legs you have got! it is to run the better my child. Grandmamma, what great ears you have got! It is to hear the better my child. Grandmamma, what great eyes you have got! It is to see the better my child. Grandmamma, what great teeth you have got! It is to eat thee up."

motifs and imagery: a motif is a recurring thematic element

~little red Riding-Hood makes a journey to her grandmother's house through a wood

~encounter with a talking wolf

~trickster antics on the part of the wolf when he pretends to be little red Riding-Hood and the grandmother

~deception: the wolf decieves both grandmother and little red-Riding Hood

magic: folktales often accept magic as a normal part of life

~the talking wolf

~how the wolf devours the people so quickly

sublimation: folktales often display this by taking something ordinary and making it devine, more refined, or more socially acceptable

~little red Riding-Hood is made more beautiful and socially accepted by the little red-Riding Hood her grandmother made for her

Additional criteria:

cultural depictions: the basis of the original story has been adapted to fit into certain societies standards of life, i.e. different geographical locations

~the setting and language used in the story reflect historical Europe

~custards and butter

~red Riding-Hood

~use of names, i.e. mother, grandmother, christian name

~directions that explain past the mill and in the village

~the fact that little red Riding-Hood undressed and got into her grandmother's bed with the wolf

~gathering flowers, nuts, and chasing butterflies

Narrative Point of View: the type of storyteller/storytelling

external omniscent narrator: not a character in the story, "all-knowing"

The narrator in this story does not side with either main character.

References:

Perrault, C. (1729). Histories or tales of times past with morals (R. Samber,

Trans.). Retrieved November 3,2004, from University of Southern

Mississippi, Department of English Little Red Riding Hood

Project Web site:

http://www.usm.edu/english/fairytales/lrrh/lrrhhome.htm