Where Did the Hunter Go?
I am currently working with Charles Perrault’s French version of Little Red Riding Hood (1697), one of the earliest written versions of this children’s tale. I am specifically looking at Beni Montreso’s 1991 version of the book translated into English by George Martin and the 2007 English and Spanish translations found online in AlbaLearning.com (translators unknown). I am also focusing on the more renowned Grimm Brothers’ version of this tale, although it is important to note that this version changes the ending of Perrault’s tale. For this assignment specifically, I will focus only on Montreso’s 1991 version of Little Red Riding Hood.
Montreso’s Little Red Riding Hood in general is pretty faithful to Perrault’s original version. This translation does well in retaining the general ideas and sentiments of the original, such as the great affection the mother and grandmother felt towards Little Red Riding Hood and the maliciousness of the wolf. However, there were plenty places where the story felt Americanized, or at the very least, modernized. For example, in the first sentence, it is stated that the girl “was as pretty as a picture.” This is not what is stated in the original French version. In the French version, it is stated that the girl is “la plus jolie qu’on eût su voir,” which roughly translates to the prettiest girl anyone has seen. I believe with the usage of “picture” the text is modernized to extend and apply the exaggeration of her beauty to the present day. There are other instances that such metaphors are used to modernize the text.
Another example of a modernization or Americanization happening in this translated version is the use of the word “cake” for “galette.” With the word “cake,” a reader in English might first think of a round, fluffy, vanilla (or other flavored) cake with icing and the such. However, this is not exactly what a galette is. A galette is a flatter and flakier pastry, but not exactly what a reader would picture with the word “cake.” In general, with the usage of the illustrations and the translation itself, Montreso’s version of Little Red Riding Hood tries to bring the text to the present and make it approachable to children, while at the same time retaining the sentiments of Perrault’s original version.
Although both of these versions were able to keep the essence of the story, there were some differences. Montreso’s version took some liberties while translating, therefore modernizing the text and even increasing the malevolence of the wolf. In addition, because this translation seems to focus more on the illustrations than the words themselves, the images seem to take on the role of the moral explanation that exists in the original. In contrast, the online translation, which is more direct, divides more of the sentences from the original. This in turn causes a disconnected and chopped-up feel to the story.