Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Sutherland, Wendy
Area of Concentration
Literature
Abstract
This thesis examines how women are represented in two film adaptations of the “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale: Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves and Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood. I argue that The Company of Wolves is an imperfect attempt at a feminist film, but that it shifted film focus from the wolf to the sexual coming-of-age of Red Riding Hood which is then seen in Hardwicke’s film Red Riding Hood. In order to examine how women are represented in these adaptations, I focus on: The Red Riding Hood characters’ sexual coming-of-age, the portrayal of other women in the film and their influence on Red Riding Hood, and ultimately how the film punishes or rewards Red Riding Hood when she leaves her home in order to pursue her libidinal desire for the wolf character. I also include references to and analyses of the film’s original screenplay drafts along with accompanying literature including: Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and Sarah Blakley-Cartwright’s Red Riding Hood. With additional analysis of the history of “Little Red Riding Hood” in text and film, I ultimately express hope that future adaptations of this fairy tale will continue to present increasingly positive messages about women.
Recommended Citation
Lumpkin, Shannon, "STRAYING FROM THE PATH: REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN IN NEIL JORDAN’S THE COMPANY OF WOLVES AND CATHERINE HARDWICKE’S RED RIDING HOOD" (2016). Theses & ETDs. 5241.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5241