History and Analysis of “Little Red Riding Hood”

The fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” began in the court of Louis XIV as a morality tale to warn virgins against lascivious wolf-like men lurking in the palace halls. Since then, the story has undergone many transmutations and permeated popular culture. Catherine Orenstein, author of Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale [Basic Books], examines Little Red Riding Hood in all her glory. She delves into the tale’s many versions, which she says gives us a window into the sexual and cultural mores of a time and place.

The fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” began in the court of Louis XIV as a morality tale to warn virgins against lascivious wolf-like men lurking in the palace halls. Since then, the story has undergone many transmutations and permeated popular culture. Catherine Orenstein, author of Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale [Basic Books], examines Little Red Riding Hood in all her glory. She delves into the tale’s many versions, which she says gives us a window into the sexual and cultural mores of a time and place.