Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Little Redcape and Angela Carter, The gathering of Wolves

Introduction

In "The Company of Wolves," Angela Carter turns Little Red's role as a victimized girl to that of a sexually aggressive young woman who uses dominance to break away from oppressive tradition. Once there was a dear little girl whom everyone loved. Her grandmother loved her most of all and didn't known what to give the child next. Once she gave her a little red velvet cap, which was so becoming to her that she wanted to wear anything else, and that was why everyone called her Little Red Cap. One day her mother said: "Look, Little Red Cap, here's a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to grandmother. She is sick and weak, and they will make her feel better. You'd better start now before it is gets too hot; walk properly like a good little girl and don't leave the path or you will fall down and break the bottle and there won't be anything for grandmother. And when you get to her house, don't forget to say good morning, and don't go looking in all the corners."

Source 01

Little Red Cap looked up, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing this way and that between the trees and the beautiful flowers all around her, she thought: "Grandmother will be pleased if I bring her a bunch of nice fresh flowers. It's so early now that I am sure to be there in plenty of time." And when she had picked one, she thought there must be a more beautiful one farther on, so she went deeper and deeper into the wood.

As for the wolf, he went straight to grandmother's house and knocked at the door. "Who's there?" " Little Red Cap, bringing cake and wine. Open the door." "Just raise the latch," cried the grandmother, "I'm too weak to get out of bed." The wolf raised the latch and the door swung open. Without saying a single word, he went straight to grandmother's bed and gobbled her up. Then he put on her clothes and her nightcap, lay down in the bed, and drew the curtains.

To my grandmother's" "And what's that you've got under your apron?" "Cake and wine. We baked yesterday and want my grandmother, who's sick and weak, to have something nice that will make her feel better." "Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Cap?" "In the wood, fifteen or twenty minutes' walk from here, under the three oak trees. That's where the house is. It had hazel hedges around it. You must know the place." "How young and tender she is!" thought the wolf. "Why, she'll be even tastier than the old woman. Maybe if I'm crafty enough I can get them both." So, after walking along for a short while beside Little Red Cap, he said: " Little Red Cap, open your eyes. What lovely flowers! Why don't you look around you? I don't believe you ...