Language and Gender in the Fairy Tale Tradition: A Linguistic Analysis of Old and New Story-Telling

Much research has been done on the social messages conveyed to children reading or listening to fairy tales. In this highly original study, the emphasis shifts from content to linguistic expression. The language and linguistic organization of a dozen versions, old and new, of the 'Little Red Riding Hood' story are analysed using a variety of theoretical approaches, including Critical Discourse Analysis, Functional Grammar and Critical Stylistics, to uncover their contribution to the discourse of gender relations over time. Language and Gender in the Fairy Tale Tradition derives from the belief that fairy tales have a role to play in the contemporary ideological landscape. It demonstrates the existence of a mutual relationship between children's stories and society, showing how the latter generates fairy tales according to its own opinions about child-rearing, and how fairy tales in their turn contribute to the maintenance and perpetuation of the status quo. But it also shows that the circle can be broken. This book is for all those who are interested in understanding this interrelationship between ideology and the language in and by which a text is formulated.