The story of Little Red Riding Hood exemplifies how fairy tales and the fantasy genre have long been used subversively to explore young girls’ coming-of-age. “Little Red Riding Hood” originates from folk tales celebrating the transition into womanhood. In literature, however, Little Red becomes a cautionary and sometimes didactic fairy tale. The modern story of Little Red has been transformed, thanks to the feminist movement, the science fiction genre, and the relatively new mediums of film and television. Artists of all types now wonder if the Big Bad Wolf, traditionally a symbol of societal obstacles, may be a part of Little Red, figuratively or even literally. In the 2005 reboot of the BBC Series Doctor Who, the Doctor’s first new companion and love interest, Rose Tyler, embodies both Little Red and the Wolf when the shows reveals Rose is the “Bad Wolf,” stalking the Doctor and herself through time and space. Rose’s popularity is undeniable, but Doctor Who fans, critics, and scholars alike wonder whether or not Rose is a positive female role model. Sometime Rose is an independent hero, but more often she must rely on the Doctor or other men to save her. Rose embodies contemporary debates about feminist heroes and female societal roles – conversations that are also relevant to the origin story of Little Red Riding Hood. Despite the show’s intent to portray strong, independent women, the new Doctor Who starts with an often ambiguous heroine. Both Rose and her fairy tale predecessors highlight the tension between what it means to be a woman as an individual and as a part of the larger society, and furthermore, these stories reveal how societal definitions of ideal gender roles further complicate the female coming-of-age.
About the presenterTK Cvetkovic
Tatiana “TK” Cvetkovic teaches English composition, literature, and Creative Practices at Burlington County College and the University of the Arts. She earned her Bachelor’s in English from Rutgers University in Camden, where she remains to pursue her Master’s Degree in English. TK studies children’s and young adult literature as well as film and postmodern works in order to pursue her lifelong fascination with the convergence of fantasy and reality.