Little Red-Cap and Mrs Darwin.

How has Carol Ann Duffy rewritten/transformed a known text or story? How can her versions have the same characters, but be “about” something different?

Speaking specifically about Little Red-Cap, Duffy has taken the original story of Little Red Ridinghood and transformed it into a darker, more adult poem/story. After analysing it as a class, we’ve come to the conclusion that she seems to be talking about a past experience she had, perhaps with an older man or someone ‘wolfy’… whatever that might imply. The characters are the same, except the wood carpenter is MIA and the grandmother remains quite dead. In the poem by Duffy, Little Red Ridinghood is 16 and a little hungry for something other than a picnic. She spots the wolf and is charmed by his poetry, despite his wolfiness and his wine-stained beard. She willingly follows him into the forest and they stay together for 10 years in his house, until one day when she’s become sick of him, she cuts him open from scrotum to head. Here, I’ve mentioned just a few differences but these are the ones that stood out to me. Someone in the class mentioned female empowerment?

This part is actually quite interesting, how the fairy tale aspect of this version where women have previously also fallen in love with this wolf, only to be eaten by him later on in their relationship (interpreted from her grandmother’s “virgin white bones”). But this Little Red stood up for herself before that could happen and took matters into her own hands.

Another interesting metaphor we considered was how in the children’s version, Little Red was told not to stray from the path for there were dangers, but she did so anyways. As a class, we discussed how the path could’ve been a metaphor for ‘adulthood’ and sexuality, how she’s drawn to the deep dark forest.

In this case, Duffy has taken a known story and zoomed in, adding depth to the story that wasn’t previously there. If anything, it’s almost like Duffy was adding context to the children’s story.

I found my favourite poem during this lesson!!

Mrs Darwin

7 April 1852.

Went to the Zoo.

I said to Him –

Something about that Chimpanzee over there reminds me of you.

Medusa

Today we looked at the poem Medusa, also by Carol Ann Duffy. It was interesting how it was similar to Little Red-Cap, where it was a known story with a spin on it. Compared to Little Red-Cap, she starts out as ‘evil’ and its not a pure and wholesome beginning, although it’s difficult to make Medusa pure and wholesome. Little Red grew wise in her poem and ended things before she could be manipulated, whereas in this poem was raped or betrayed first, so her sorrow turned her into a monster. (Progression of sorrow into anger at her sorrow into revenge).