Little Red Riding Hood Case Study

Johnson, scholar and a professor at the Virginia Tech University, lays in its filling in the literary discourse gap left by other folklore and literary scholars. This critical review aims to analyze what methods were used to convey the author’s thesis and wherever she was successful in delivering concise and comprehensive study according to academic conventions. Subject of “Little Red Riding Hood” tale was chosen based on its timeless relevance and my further interest in this topic, for it is not possible to fully understand the contemporary versions of any folk tale without insight into its most original literary version. Interestingly Johnson observes “Little Red Riding Hood” tale within the context of the French legal codex that is at the time of its first publication by Charles Perrault in the seventeenth century. The author emphasizes the correlation between the lexical characteristics of the legal discourse and customs of the land in the pre-revolutionary France. She argues that Perrault’s original tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” reflects the practiced victimization of rape victims and lack of action within the society taken against the aggressors in his period. Author’s stance is well supported throughout the study with explicit intertextual references, however the overall smoothness of the text is at times hindered by the use of French

In favor of conciseness, English equivalent to French lexicality might have been sufficient. But in some instances English translations have not been provided altogether, these include but are not limited to: rapt, bienséances, rapt de séduction, double entendres, ravisseur, Traité de la justice criminelle, la volupté, précis, équivoque, and avoir vu le loup. Following excerpt exemplifies especially lengthy French lexicality whose translation was provided only in endnotes:

He also briefly touches on the possibility of female dishonor when analyzing the équivoque of the the term ‘avoir vu le loup,’ which when applied to a female meant ‘avoir de l’expérience en amour, avoir eu des galanteries et des intrigues dans lesquelles l’honneur a reçu quelque échec’ (Dictionnaire comique, qtd. in Chupeau 39).23 (Johnson, 2003,