The Trials & Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood

This text presents the many faces of "Little Red Riding Hood". In tracing the evolution of the story, the author takes on those questions which other authors have shied away from: violation, rape, male fantasies and manipulation. This book collects 35 of the best versions of the story, from the first tellings as a folktale, to its written renderings by authors such as the Brothers Grimm, Walter De La Mare, James Thurber, Alphonse Daudet, Anne Sexton and Olga Broumas, providing a detailed social history of the literary Red Riding Hood. Zipes uses these tales to explore questions of Western culture, sexism, and politics and, in a new epilogue, examines the illustrations used in past versions for their "take on the tale". A new preface and an expanded bibliography have also been included for the second edition.