Wolf as a Sexual Predator in “Little Red Riding Hood & the Big Bad Wolfcaller”
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | In real life, one might not encounter a wolf all that often; however, catcallers are a totally different story. Fairy tales are known to teach and warn their readers about the sorts of behaviour that might lead to them getting punished. A fairy tale that is frequently mentioned in connection to teaching readers how to behave is “Little Red Riding Hood”, which is often interpreted as a cautionary tale warning children not to talk to strangers. This presentation will focus on a contemporary (2020) version of the story by Laura Lane and Ellen Haun called “Little Red Riding Hood & the Big Bad Wolfcaller” with the aim of analysing from a feminist point of view how the authors use the well-known story to address contemporary issues specifically the harassment of women by means of catcalling. Instead of a naive little girl, Lane and Haun offer a strong – if short – protagonist, who is, in spite of her empowered character, having trouble with a catcalling wolf who harasses her. By identifying the catcaller – or in this case, the wolfcaller – as a wolf, the authors emphasise the feelings connected to the potential danger that often tend to be dismissed by others in real-life situations, thus drawing attention to the problems of toxic masculinity, aggression and the normalisation of these issues. |
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