Red

[sharplittleteeth]

I have a weird thing for Little Red Riding Hood.

Blame The Company of Wolves. I saw it at age 14, and have been erotically imprinted on pale girls in dark forests ever since.

The red hood was the invention of Charles Perrault, when he re-wrote French folk-tales as witty little morals for the French aristocracy. In his version, the wolf eats the girl, and that's the end. The Brothers Grimm added the woodsman who rescues her.

But in the earlier folk tales, the girl saves herself. She outwits the wolf, telling him she needs to pee then running away when he lets her  go outside.

I stumbled across some fantastic Little Red Riding Hood artwork today, which recasts Red as a wolf-killer. These are by an Australian artist named Ken Wong:








Take a look at Ken Wong's website, too. Lots of beautiful pictures, including a very subtle Alice In Wonderland/The Matrix crossover.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_ryn/]

*jawdrop*

I *love* the stencil art one.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

It's great, isn't it? You can order it as a print.

And according to the website, it was originally designed as t-shirt.

These three illustrations are part of a series designed for printing on white t-shirts. The brief requested illustrations of dark treatments of well-known fairytales, aimed at the punk/goth market.

White t-shirts? For the punks/goths?

I think they need to do some more market research.

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's cool. I didn't know the history of the fairy-take, and that first picture is gorgeous. Thank you!:)

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

My pleasure.

Wikipedia has a pretty good overview of the history of the fairy tale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood

I dig that huntress picture. It's badass. Especially compared to the Todd McFarlane Twisted Fairytales statue. Similar theme, far more juvenile.

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

Ah, Todd McFarlane...nothing if not consistent.:)

[usekh.livejournal.com]

silverblueDid something similar a while back, I kill my own wolves

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

Although her version has nudity instead of badass battlescars.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

This is true :)

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

Have I told you the Little Red Riding Hood joke? mireille21 told it to me at the first Labyrinth ball.

[p-cat.livejournal.com]

How did I not know about this film? I adore Angela Carter and am currently rereading a few of her novels.

That middle picture reminds me of a Jellibat wolf.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

I've told you my Angela Carter story, yes? I got to hear her read one of her short stories at the Rowden White Library at Melbourne Uni. She died the next year.

Company of Wolves was my favourite favourite film as a teenager. I haven't seen it again in almost two decades, so I'm a little reluctant to go back. Sometimes the memory is better.

That middle picture reminds me of a Jellibat wolf.

It does a bit, doesn't it?

Although I get a little sulky here - her wolves are based on my designs, but she gets all the credit. :(

[p-cat.livejournal.com]

Oh, I remember - I just thought the picture looked more like the plushie :)

I am having a vicarious thrill about your Angela Carter moment. Have you read 'Nights at the Circus'? I'm re-reading that at the moment, having finished 'Wise Children' for the nth time.

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

I *love* Angela Carter. Haven't read "Nights at the Circus", but I've read a few others, and especially adored her fairy-tales.. She writes to a type but it's the sort of type I enjoy.:) Although I'm not above making a pastiche out of it...
http://patchworkkid.livejournal.com/725167.html
(scroll down).:)

[p-cat.livejournal.com]

Oh, you'd love it! I can recommend it fiercely.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

I have read it, and enjoyed it. But it was too long ago for me to remember any details. (I have a terrible memory for plot.)

[p-cat.livejournal.com]

Me too - hence the re-reading! (I'm a chronic re-reader, though.)