ABOUT

The beloved tale Little Red Riding Hood is believed to originate in its written form in seventeenth-century France.​

It was published by Charles Perrault and was known as "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge", but because the story originated orally, its true beginnings are uncertain (Hanks & Hanks, 1978). For instance, other oral variations of this tale can also be found in Austria and northern Italy (Tehrani, 2013). 

Oral stories that have been passed down leave for variations within the story. For example, the version that inspired the Grimms Brothers tale can be perceived as funny. Meanwhile, in the most common recorded version of the tale, it is downright gory (Walsham, 2018). In this tale, both the wolf and little girl were depicted eating the grandmother. One author suggests that the story was intended to examine a girl's trials and tribulations of blood, sex, and rivalry (Douglas, 1995). The early centuries in which this tale began, was a dangerous time for young girls and this cautionary tale was used to instill fear. Fear of what may happen when traveling alone.