The subversion of grimm's fairy tales: how does Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood defeat witches and wolves?

Little Red Little Red Riding Hood went through the forest to visit her grandmother's home. Shortly after her departure, she met a wolf. The wolf is hungry, and Little Red Riding Hood looks delicious, so the wolf comes up with a plan-he runs to grandma's house first. ...

Rapunzel lives alone in a tall and dark tower. She is trapped here by a witch who comes to see her every day-"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, put down your long hair." ……

Wait, isn't this the story of Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel? hackneyed and stereotyped expressions ...

When you cover your ears and hear cocoons, the next story turns upside down!

When you bowed your head and exclaimed, "This is not the little red riding hood and the long-haired princess I know", Betan Woolvin succeeded in subverting fairy tales.

Recently, Enlightened Children's Library has introduced two works, Little Red Riding Hood Wit and How Bold is Rapunzel, by British picture book rookie Betan Woolvin, which have brought subversive cognition to China readers. Little Red Riding Hood Wit, as the first novel of Petain, won the Macmillan Illustration Award in 20 14 and the The New York Times Best Children's Book Award in 20 16.

It was the hero in the story who changed your fate and saved you from the fire pit!

What? That's impossible! Are you going to fight the bad guys alone? How can you two fragile girls defeat wolves and evil witches alone?

Still, it's unbelievable! Is there any evidence to prove that everything you said is true?

The wolf proves that the horse is really convincing. ...

It must be difficult to face an opponent many times stronger than you alone. What kind of wisdom and courage help you overcome evil?

I didn't expect you to be like Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel ... but what is certain is that the book Smart Little Red Riding Hood will be a blockbuster as soon as it appears. First of all, we can't do without Petain's distinctive personal style: strong contrast, simple brushwork and the most arresting eyes.

Little Red Riding Hood's facial features are so simple, but it clearly shows the change of her expression-

From the little impatience when I received my mother's task, to the rolling of my eyes when I pretended to be cheated by the wolf, to the snickering before the plan was implemented, and finally to the joy of putting on the wolf's skin, it was humorous and wonderful.

The richness of the picture and the interest of the story also make this picture book version of Little Red Riding Hood stand out among countless adapted images of Little Red Riding Hood.

Also with a pair of big eyes as the cover, Petain's second book, How Bold Rapunzel is, further developed her distinctive humorous style and enriched the details.

For example, the book How to Beat the Witch, which she learned in the forest, and the little animal friends who secretly followed her into the tower are all elements that readers can easily ignore for the first time, but they can't help but smile when they find it.

This bold Rapunzel becomes a bounty hunter at the end of the story, which makes the contrast and turning point between the old and new stories more interesting.

In addition to its distinctive style, Petain's subversion is mainly reflected in people's settings for it. The princess in the traditional fairy tales that we often read has a characteristic that she lacks subjective will and is always in a passive state.

Although Petain's little red riding hood and Rapunzel seem indifferent to everything, they actually have many circuitous ideas in their hearts. They make and implement plans through their own thinking, and carry them out smoothly, thus completing self-help. They will retaliate and know what they want.

In fact, in recent years, Disney's animation and live-action movies have been trying to break through the traditional female role setting, such as Bell in Beauty and the Beast and Aisha in Frozen. From Disney to Petain, we will find that the heroines in fairy tales are constantly "evolving", becoming more confident, braver, more independent-more human.

Works like Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel are gradually overthrowing the heavy gender stereotype, telling our children-girls and boys-that no one is destined to be saved by anyone.

About the author: Betan Woolwin, a new creative talent in the field of picture books in Britain, graduated from Cambridge Art College in England. Witty Little Red Riding Hood is the first work of Betan Woolvin. With this debut novel, she won the Macmillan Illustration Award in 20 14 and the The New York Times Children's Book Award in 20 16.