Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf - Roald Dahl

 

Little Red Riding Hood and The Wolf   - Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is considered as one of the greatest storytellers of the 20^th Century. He has written novels, short stories and poems. His children’s books were made into movies. His well known works are ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘The BFG’, and ‘Matilda’. Little Red Riding Hood by Roald  Dahl was published in 1982 in Revolting Rhymes. Dahl’s LRRH is a humorous, contemporary spin on the well known fairy tale. Dahl starts the retelling off by skipping the introduction to the characters and the major details because majority of his audience has most likely heard this story.

The Wolf gets hungry, goes to Grandma’s house. He eats her up in one bite but is not satisfied yet, so he decides to put on Grandma’s clothes and wait for LRRH to arrive. When she comes in, she comments on Wolf’s big ears and eyes. The Wolf responds that they will help hear and see her better. Then she asks about his furry coat. ‘That’s wrong’ the wolf says pointing out that she was supposed to ask her about his teeth. Regardless, he says, he is going to eat her up. Before he has a chance, the small girl pulls a pistol from her knickers and shoots him in the head. The narrator explains that he met Miss Riding Rood a few weeks later in the wood and was impressed by the new ‘lovely furry wolf skin coat’. This is the major turning point in how Dahl creates his own retelling.

Dahl created LRRH as a smart, tough woman to show the progression of the original story to modern day. What Dahl has done here is to manipulate the functions, so that in his version, LHHR’s role is of an active, seeker heroine. Thus, if in Grimm’s tale she was the haunted, in Dahl’s version she is the hunter, an unexpected reversal roles. In the original fairy tale, LRRH had to wait for the huntsman to come and rescue her, but in Revolting Rhymes the little girl stands on her own feet showing she needs no brave young man or a prince to save her from her foe. She becomes the heroine of the piece. Thus we could say Dahl’s LRRH as an attempt to make  the tale politically correct according to the sensibilities of today.

Robin Hood and The Monk - Robert Jamieson

 

Robin Hood and The Monk  - Robert Jamieson

Robin Hood and The Monk was first  printed  in 1806 by Robert Jamieson  in his work Popular Ballads And Songs From Tradition.

 The ballad tells about one of Robin's adventures.  Robin wanted to attend a mass in Nottingham because of his devotion to the Virgin Mary. One of his men, Much, the Millers son and one of Robin hoods men, advised him to bring at least twelve men but Robin hood decided to bring only one, Little John. Little John was Robin Hood's lieutenant. He was an excellent swordsman and archer. On their way the two had a bet in which Robin was defeated but refused to agree on the pay out. This made Little John angry and left Robin. Later Robin reached Saint Mary's in Nottingham and started to pray. A monk who was robbed by Robin Hood in the past noticed him in the church. On seeing him, the monk quickly reported Robin Hood's presence to the Sheriff.  Sheriff came to the church and arrested Robin. Little John decided to rescue Robin with Much and the other men. The Monk and his page headed to the King to inform Robin’s arrest. On the way they were caught by Little John and Much. Little John killed the Monk and Much killed the page and erased the witnesses.

The two went to meet the king in disguise as the Monk’s companion and reported the Monk’s sudden death on their journey. They gave the Monk’s letter to the King. In return the King gave them gifts and direction to bring Robin to him.

Little John gave the King’s letter to the Sheriff and told him that the Monk did not come because the King made him an abbot. They got into the prison, killed the jailer and managed to bust Robin out.

In the end, Robin felt indebted to Little John for his timely help. He offered John a position to be the leader of the group, but John refused and wanted Robin to remain as his master. On the other side, the King was enraged by the incompetence of his men but admired Little John’s loyalty.