Book Review: Revisioning Red Riding Hood around the World: An Anthology of International Retellings Edited by Sandra L. Beckett

Revisioning Red Riding Hood around the World: An Anthology of International Retellings
Edited by Sandra L. Beckett
Wayne State University Press, November 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0814334799
$34.95, 416pp.
Reviewed by Lori A. May

Sandra L. Beckett has a career obsession with Red. In addition to her published critical studies, Recycling Red Riding Hood (Routledge, 2002) and Red Riding Hood for All Ages: A Fairy-Tale Icon in Cross-Cultural Contexts (Wayne State, 2008), Beckett has “collected several hundred retellings of the tale” that scholars think predates the seventeenth century. The author’s research and findings culminate in this authoritative book of fifty-two renditions that span from early twentieth century to present day, fifty of which have never previously been translated into English.

Beckett’s selections were originally published in twenty-four countries and across fifteen languages, yet each retelling shares a common passion for Red—the central character. “Little Red Riding Hood is a universal icon whose story has been recast countless times by authors and illustrators around the world,” Beckett writes. Thus, the author’s role here was not only curatorial in selecting works to share, but also geographical and interpretative with international research, consulting with colleagues around the world, and translating works that may no longer be in print.

Revisioning Red Riding Hood around the World: An Anthology of International Retellings explores both textual and visual international interpretations and, in addition to images placed throughout the text, more than thirty pages of color plates demonstrate the breadth of contemporary depictions of Red. These visual representations vary widely from a graphic narrative in illustrative strips by DamirMiloš to a minimalist, but haunting, rendering of Red’s presence in Joanna Olech and Grażka Lange’s work. Some illustrations are bright and cheery, others dark and ominous, yet all variations complement the translated stories in their varied interpretations.

Like their illustrated counterparts, not all textual retellings of Red are meant for children and, in fact, several of the included translations are of a very adult nature. While some adult-oriented stories are still playful in their risqué depictions, others are what the editor calls “cautionary tales.” Becker says “Authors and artists who retell ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ as a story of rape or child abuse generally adopt a very serious, even tragic tone, and their reversions seek to warn both children and adults of the ever-present danger of predatory males.” While such retellings offer little room for a happy ending, Korean author and illustrator Mia Simapproaches her cautionary tale with a more humorous tone. Sim’s story, published by Nurimbo in 2010, is meant to entertain children, Becker suggests, and includes repetitive phrasing, a sing-song verse, and cartoon inspired illustrations. Sim maintains a traditional Red Riding Hoodstory arc in her rendition, but calls upon other fairy tale figures—such as the Three Little Pigs—to accentuate Red’s journey, during which she encounters her potential abductors.

For me, everything is easy!
I walk without fear.

This fearlessness stems from Sim’s build-up that Red received advice from her mother—that “a poorly lit road is dangerous”—and when Red survives her path untouched by evil, she tells her grandmother, “I’m courageous, you know it, don’t you?” because “Mom’s voice followed me everywhere.” This scene shows Red embracing her own power, but also lends a nod to parental advice and the value of following guidance.

To accentuate the translations and illustrations included in Becker’s text, the author shares her research and interpretative understanding of how each story was developed. For academics and casual readers alike, these informative introductions to each selection heighten the reading experience. For “My Red Riding Hood,” originally published as “Mon Chaperon Rouge” by French writer and filmmaker Anne Ikhlef, Becker shares how the interpreted story originated first as a film that was presented at the Cannes Film Festival. For both the film and the picturebook that followed, Ikhlef focused on “the tale’s medieval sources,” Becker writes, while also “reintroduce[ing] the sensuality of the tale.” The two color plates included from “Mon Chaperon Rouge” depict illustrator Alain Gauthier’s interpretation of Ikhlef’s narrative: Red’s seductive gazing eye, aware of the lurking predator Wolf in the distance. The verse follows the relationship between the two icons and reveals intimacy in their charades:

The wolf doesn’t take his eyes off her!
“Undress, my child!”

The child removes her garments one at a time:
“Where should I put my apron?”

“Throw it in the fire, you won’t be needing it anymore!”

Once Red has removed all of her clothing, she notices the Wolf’s gaze and utters the famous line, “What big eyes you have!” and a sequence of more traditional verse follows.

Revisioning Red Riding Hood around the World places Red in the context of history, showing her at times as an independent young woman with fight, and at other times, as in Ikhlef’s narrative, a seductress who feeds off the Wolf’s temptation. For all the variations North America has read in books or seen on the screen, Beckett’s text offers a unique and new view of the scope of Red’s appeal in recent history. For those who share Beckett’s “passion for the little girl in red,” Revisioning Red Riding Hood around the World provides further documentation and appreciation for a worldwide literary icon.

Lori A. May is the author of The Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students (Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2011). Her fifth book, Square Feet, was published by Accents Publishing in January, 2014. Lori writes across the genres and her work may be found in publications such as Brevity, Midwestern Gothic, and American Road. Visit her online at www.loriamay.com.